Building community takes hard work

The successful campaign to get Nigerian deportee Kunle Elukanlo back to Ireland to sit his Leaving Certificate was hailed at …

The successful campaign to get Nigerian deportee Kunle Elukanlo back to Ireland to sit his Leaving Certificate was hailed at yesterday's conference as a good example of communities working together.

Neal Burke from Palmerstown Community College, who was the main organiser in the campaign said it was "time for Ireland to live up to Céad Míle Fáilte".

As Mr Elukanlo sat in the audience, Mr Burke said: "I believe that refugees and migrant workers can only enrich and make a community stronger."

Mr Burke said Palmerstown was a small community. It was rare to walk down the road without meeting someone, he said. It gave people a sense of security and helped them not to feel alone, especially older members of the community who may not have family of their own. "Community acts as a support structure in times of grief or trouble and the best example of this is in the case of Kunle.

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"I couldn't believe that so many people wanted to get involved in helping the campaign.

"It was a great achievement, not only for the school but for the community as well, and we couldn't believe it when he was returned," he said.

In the area, there is a lack of facilities such as sports clubs for young people and this is coupled with too much emphasis on pub culture which contributes to under-age drinking.

"I think there is a need for more places for people to go and socialise without alcohol being involved," said Mr Burke.

When something needed to be done in the community, older members who had lived there all their lives could become detached from the younger members of the community, he said. Unless everybody worked together, the community would become fragmented and conflicts of interest would occur, he added.

Trevor White, editor of The Dubliner magazine, said he did not believe there was civic spirit in people of his age.

Local governments and civic society had to play a more active role. "If we are sincere about a better society, then we must participate," he said.

Una Ní Lachtnain, representative for the active aged and member of the City Development Board and Community Forum, said everybody had to work at building up a community, it did not just happen. Everybody should give in their own way whether through meals on wheels or the church choir.