Mental Health Reform are delighted to host two events as part of the First Fortnight Festival 2021 on January 13 and 14.
There will be one event called ‘Conversation Café’ focusing on conversations with young people on mental health, and another called ‘Dear Diary’, which is an invitation for members of the public to tell their own mental health stories in a short stories.
The First Fortnight Festival is a programme of events set up by First Fortnight which focuses on thought-provoking conversations regarding positive mental health reform and attitude within society. Mental Health Reform are one of the organisations working with First Fortnight to create the catalogue of events which make up the two day festival.
The Conversation Café will look to create conversations among groups of young people about mental health in the strange world of 2021. Focusing primarily with people from Tipperary, Clare and Limerick, this event ‘will explore some of the challenges young people face in maintaining good mental health and will create a space for people to come together to look towards better mental health services and supports.’
Dear Diary hopes to engage the public in a sphere where the very personal meets the very public. Mental Health Reform are looking for the public to send in short stories (aprrox 300 words) with their own mental health stories. Certain themes emerging from these stories will be on display and then discussed by a panel on the day.
Mental Health Reform are a Carmichael resident organisation, and one Ireland’s leading national coalition on mental health. With over 70 member organisations, they work together to drive progressive reform of mental health services and supports in Ireland.
You can keep up to date all news from Mental Health Reform by bookmarking their fantastic website, and also by following their social media accounts; their Facebook here, and their Twitter here to list but a few.
Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI) are pleased to kick off the New Year with a social night led by Alan Gardner on January 14. The Carmichael resident organisation are delighted the award winning designer has agreed to be their guest for the night.
Alan Gardner is an award winning garden designer and presenter of two Channel 4 series. On the night Alan will be recounting escapades, challenges and accolades all the while telling it like it really is.
Alan is the design genius and creative powerhouse of 40 Royal Horticultural Society show gardens. He has won numerous awards at Chelsea and Hampton Court not to mention two gold medals at Tatton Park. His work is driven by passion fueled by his love of architecture, conceptual art and the wider landscape around him.
Alan presented The Autistic Gardener on Channel 4, his mentoring and hands on approach led his team of gardening novices to achieve their goals by apprenticing and igniting true design within them. This is Alan’s forte, a designer sensei for the 21st century. Alan also hosted the Channel 4 series The Avant Gardener applying a monumental design discipline to amaze and transform large outdoor spaces across the UK.
ILMI are a group ‘led by disabled people, promoting a rights-based social model of disability, challenging a charity/medical view of disability’. The ILMI state that Independent Living is about ‘having the freedom to have the same choices that everyone else has in housing, transportation, education and employment’.
There are many ways to get involved with the IMNI, and many avenues in which they can help improve the lives of many. The most efficient way to get involved is to sign up to their eBulletin and see how you can become involved, email info@ilmi.ie.
To book in for the January 14 event with Alan Gardner simply email info@ilmi.ie to register your interest. For more information on the ILMI check out their website here. Also, you can find their social media accounts easily; Facebook here, and Twitter here.
ADHD Ireland will end the year on a high note, hosting a comedy night hosted by Karl Spain on December 18. The stage will suitably remain virtual, as has been the case for the majority of 2020, with the show kicking off at 9pm.
Hosted by the brilliant Irish comedian Karl Spain, the night promises a fun-filled show of laughs from start to finish. The Limerick native, Karl Spain will MC the show, with the likes of Paul Marsh, Aka Mr Dead Sound, and Patrick Monahan will be among the tight-knit line-up.
For just one hour the comedy night promises to bring joy to the audience in a year in which we all badly needed a laugh. What’s even more good news about the event, it will be completely free to be part of the audience! To register for the event just visit this link.
The line-up may not be huge given the short show in store, but it is not short in quality! For example, Spain appeared at the Montreal Just for Laughs comedy festival in 2003, which was later repeated on RTÉ Television. He is a regular at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs comedy festival. Spain later ran a series on RTÉ entitled Karl Spain Wants a Woman. He appeared as master of kung-fu on the fifth series of Killinaskully in October 2008.
Patrick Monahan meanwhile is an Irish-Iranian comedian, who won the television competition series Take the Mike in 2001 and Show Me the Funny in 2011. He has performed regularly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Paul Marsh is an award winning Comedian from Tipperary. He arrived on the Irish comedy scene in 2011 by winning Ireland’s biggest newcomer award, The Capital Comedy Competition and He followed this impressive start up by supporting some of Ireland’s top comedians like Neil Delamere, PJ Gallagher and Karl Spain.
ADHD Ireland, a resident Carmichael organisation, provide vital supports and research for the ADHD community in Ireland. This event will be a great opportunity for the community to come together let off some steam following a tumultuous and testing 2020.
To follow all news and events from ADHD Ireland make sure to follow them on social media; you can find their Facebook here, their LinkedIn here and their Twitter here. Finally, don’t forget – to be a part of the virtual audience for the event just visit this page.
The Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) are having a data launch on December 16, presenting their 2019 data from across their nationwide Rape Crisis Centres (RCCs). Notably, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will be launching this survivor evidence.
There will be several well versed speakers on the day dissecting the data, including Detective Chief Superintendent Declan Daly (Garda National Protective Services Bureau), Dr. Marceline Naudi (President, Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO), and Dr. Clíona Saidléar (RCNI Executive Director).
The December 16 event will illuminate what survivors of sexual violence told the RCNI and asked of them in 2019. The data was and collated across a sample of seven Rape Crisis Centres throughout the country.
It is a particularly poignant time for the RCNI, with the government set to ‘radically overhaul how we respond to sexual violence with the Government audit of its infrastructure responding to sexual and domestic violence in April 2021.
RCNI state that ‘their ambition is that survivors’ voices driving this transformation will establish Ireland as best in Europe’ when reviewed under the Istanbul Convention by GREVIO in February 2022.
To register for this free event visit this link. The RCNI are the representative body for RCCs across the nation. The role includes the development and coordination of national projects including expert data collection, supporting RCCs to reach best practice standards, and using their expertise to influence national policy and social change.
The RCNI are a resident Carmichael and as ever we are delighted to promote events like this. To learn more about their work, simply visit their website here. Finally, make sure to follow their social media account: their Facebook here, and their Twitter here.
The Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD) are to hold their 23rd Annual Conference on Friday Dec 11. Titled “Privacy and Personal Space: The Challenges of Technology in Justice” this will be an online event open to both ACJRD members and non-members alike.
The conference will take place over one day, and is particularly aimed at those working in government agencies, and those in the community including policy-makers, academics, and those involved in civil society groups from a wide range of disciplines within or tangential to the Criminal Justice System.
The ACJRD, a resident Carmichael organisation, are hold this this event is free of charge for ACJRD members, while the fee for non-members is just €20. There will be a catalogue of speakers on the day, including national and international representatives from the criminal justice sector.
The ACJRD provide a range of services, including . Ultimately however they seek to promote reform, development and effective operation of the criminal justice system.
The day will consist of eight different workshops which will be presented. Delegates will be given the opportunity to attend two workshops, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. 1st and 2nd choice workshop preferences for the morning and afternoon sessions must be given when completing the booking form.
For students it is worth noting that attendance at the conference may qualify for CPD points. Qualification is determined by the points’ issuer. ACJRD is happy to provide certificates of attendance on request. Please email enquiries@acjrd.ie in advance if you will require a certificate of attendance.
To encourage openness and the sharing of information, the Chatham House Rule will be invoked at this conference. To learn more about the ACJRD you can check out their site here.
The Huntington’s Disease Association of Ireland (HDAI) are proud to tell the world of a new film available for free on Youtube about the condition. The Carmichael resident organisation provide a range of services and supports, with the movie doing an immense job of shedding light on the condition.
The New Film
Dancing At The Vatican, the powerful documentary about Huntington’s disease produced and directed by Irish filmmakers, will be available on YouTube from December 1st.
Authored by Emmy award winning war reporter Charles Sabine the film follows a brave few South American families who, despite the poverty and isolation of their lives, journey to Rome.
Supported by clinicians, scientists and other HD families from around the world, they call for an end to the fear and stigma surrounding Huntington’s disease. The film comes at a time when the need for HD families to participate in research has never been more important.
“This is a beautifully made, powerful and very emotional film. Please, please watch it.” Professor Niall Pender, Dept. of Psychology, Beaumont Hospital Dublin.
Dublin Screening
The Huntington’s Disease Association of Ireland was honoured to participate in the Vatican event which became the biggest global gathering of the Huntington’s Disease community ever. HDAI supported a Dublin screening of Dancing at the Vatican at the Lighthouse cinema in May 2019. Please click here to subscribe and share the film.
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurological illness caused by an expanded gene in your DNA. The faulty HD gene causes cells in parts of your brain to gradually malfunction and die. As brain cells die, you will experience changes with your movement, thinking and emotions.
What They Do and How You Can Help
The Huntington’s Disease Assocation centre their work on a range of supports, services, and research. Their website is full of information for those in need of information about the condition, and what supports the healthcare system can offer. Advocacy and awareness is another key tenet of their work, as is often the case with lesser known conditions.
You can donate directly toward their efforts here.
You can follow them on their Twitter and Facebook pages.
View the movie below, or on the movie’s official Youtube page.
The Caring and Sharing Association are calling on their supporters to raise much-needed funds for the organisation in a series of supporter-led events. The Caring and Sharing Association (CASA) are a volunteer-led organisation, with the goal of helping those with disabilities through a wide-variety of supports and events.
As everyone knows, 2020 has been an incredibly tough year for all, including all the non-profit organisations you can think of. In that, CASA are no different. With a goal of €10,000 set for this fundraiser, that have already surpassed the €5,000 mark through the generosity of 92 donors (and counting).
As a Carmichael resident organisation, we are delighted to promote this fundraiser for CASA. Supporters of this fundraising initiative have been encouraged to ‘walk, run or roll’, with a great degree of opportunity to fundraise in whatever manner you see fit.
This fundraiser will provide vital supports for the organisation. Currently, there are 22 nationwide CASA branches, holding weekly and monthly social activities. These include musical events, dancing, bowling and cinema trips, and more. The overall aim here is to provide a base for ‘socialising, friendship and support’.
The mission statement for CASA further illustrates the vast positives from contributing to this initiative. CASA strive to work for the core values of friendship, one-to-one care, spirituality, quality and social inclusion in all that they do.
Formed in 1981 by a group of volunteers, CASA’s key purpose was to ‘enable its members to develop friendship through social events’. Once a small group of volunteers, they now have 22 groups across the country. You can donate directly to this fundraiser by visiting the Go Fund Me page here.
Make sure to keep up to date with all CASA news by following them on socials; their Facebook can be found here, and their Twitter here.
Brain Tumour Ireland will host their annual Family Day at Barretstown on December 6 from 11am-12.30pm. Resident Carmichael organisation Brain Tumour Ireland face another tough winter. With Covid-19 causing a multitude of negative effects on all they do, and the people they help, they hope the day provides some light at the end of a tough year.
Like other non-profits, every facet in day-to-day life for Brain Tumour Ireland has been faced with great difficulty. Their ability to provide their vital services has been stretched. However, they continue to provide information and support for the people affected with brain tumours, their families and friends
On December 6 Brain Tumour Ireland will be able to provide some joy and a sense of togetherness for those struggling with the varied effects of brain tumours, Covid-19 and everything in between.
The organisation states they were founded ‘by a small group of people’, but with actions such as carrying out the Family Day 2020, they show they have a big heart and know how to do the best for the people they care dearly for.
Essentially Christmas themed, the Family Day will consist of games, arts and crafts, Christmas decorations, and even there will be visit from a special elf! Fantastically, all of this will be completely free of charge, and all you need to do is book your place by emailing info@braintumourireland.ie
Brain Tumour Ireland’s support services are vast, including a range of support groups nationwide, providing financial assistance and much more. You can donate directly to Brain Tumour Ireland here. Finally, you can keep up to date with all their day-to-day news by following their social media; their Facebook here, and their Twitter here.
ADHD Ireland, along with UCD and Stanford Universities, are delighted to announce an online conference on ‘Neurodiversity: A Paradigm Shift in Higher Education and Employment’.
The talks will include world leading speakers and is aimed particularly those in further education or employment, but also those part of the general ADHD community. The conference takes place on 3rd and 4th December, from 9am-7pm.
Day one of the conference will take place on December 3, and will include Prof Simon Baron Cohen, Judy Singer, and Prof Sarah Rankin. The title of the talk is Neurodiversity, and Neurodiversity and Universities. You can register to virtually attend the event here.
Day two of the conference, taking place on December 4, will be titled Learning and Inclusive Environments: Education and the Workplace, Employment and Business. Throughout the talk you will hear from Dr Simon Bury and Prof Susanne Bruyere. You can register for this event by clicking here.
ADHD Ireland are a Carmichael resident organisation, and we are as ever delighted to promote their events throughout our various platforms available. Recently we publicised an expert webinar of theirs, and we hope to promote more events in the future.
You can follow ADHD Ireland on social; their Facebook here, Twitter here, and LinkedIn here. Finally, you can donate directly to their efforts here.
Good Governance Awards 2020 Winners
Carmichael is delighted to announce the 2020 Good Governance Awards winners.
The Awards, now in its fifth year, recognises and encourages compliance and adherence to good governance best practice by nonprofits in Ireland. The Good Governance Awards seek to showcase how good governance and driving social change are effectively interlinked. They also aim to promote awareness of effective governance principles and to encourage improvements in the standards of disclosure. There are two main awards – Annual Report and Governance Improvement Initiative with six entry categories based on annual turnover.
The 2020 winners are:
(1) Annual Report Award
- Serve the City (Ireland)
- Sharing Point
- Children’s Rights Alliance
- BeLonG To Youth Services
- LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice
- Concern
(2) Governance Improvement Initiative Award
- NiteLine Dublin
- Proudly Made in Africa
- Canoeing Ireland
- The Jack and Jill Children’s’ Foundation
- Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
The awards are organised by Carmichael in association with its partners: 2into3, Chartered Accountants Ireland, Davy Institutional Consulting, Department of Rural & Community Development, Mason Hayes & Curran, Mazars, The Chartered Governance Institute -ICSA, Boardmatch Ireland, Charities Institute Ireland, Community Foundation Ireland, Dóchas, Enclude, Pobal, Sport Ireland, The Wheel, and Volunteer Ireland.
Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí, CEO of Carmichael said “excellent governance is intrinsic to a successful organisation, its culture and its people. The Awards are a real opportunity for nonprofits to showcase their transparency and accountability, by effectively communicating their performance, governance, culture and financials in their annual reports. We also want to recognise the outstanding work taking place in the sector and help the sector build and sustain trust with the wider public. I would like to congratulate the award winners, those that were shortlisted and also to acknowledge all those organisations that entered this year’s competition for their demonstration of a commitment to enhance the practice of their governance.”
Carmichael is a leading provider of quality services, training and supports to nonprofits nationwide. It is also home to 43 nonprofit resident member organisations, providing them with shared services and targeted supports to help them maximise their potential and the positive difference they make to Irish Society.