Date: 21 June 2018
Time: 10:00am – 4:30pm
Venue: Carmelite Centre, 56 Aungier Street, Dublin 2
Participants will get an introduction into how government policy is actually made in Ireland and the ways in which community and voluntary organisations on the ground can have a real and profound impact on such policy – particularly in the context of the forthcoming Budget process and the likely General Election campaign in early 2019.
You will also get to carry out some practical exercises, which will equip you to become an effective policy influencer in your own communities – which, through the collective efforts of others across the country, can have a significant impact at national level.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the session, participants will gain:
Knowledge and understanding of how Ireland’s policy making system works in practice;
Clarity about the ways in which local community and voluntary organisations can influence policy;
A strong understanding of how to be an effective policy influencer on behalf of their organisation and community.
Facilitators:
Pat Montague, Founder and Managing Director of Montague Communications
Pat Montague is the founder and Managing Director of Montague Communications, which has been in operation for the last 27 years. During that period he has provided strategic communications and public affairs advice to a wide range of not-for-profit organisations including public sector bodies, campaign groups, charities, trade unions and other representative bodies such as The Wheel.
Pat specialises in areas like public affairs and lobbying, political analysis, communications and advocacy training, crisis communications and media relations. He has a first-class honours MA in Political Communication from Dublin City University, where he also taught on a number of courses including Political Communication in Ireland and Political Communication and the Electoral Process.
He also worked for almost two years as consultant advisor to former Tánaiste, Joan Burton TD.
Johnny Sheehan (Membership & Regional Coordinator, The Wheel)
Johnny Sheehan recently joined The Wheel as Membership and Regional Coordinator. The main focus of his work is to drive the development, presence and participation in The Wheel’s programmes regionally, support the work of the National Rural Network and to support member engagement in The Wheel.
Johnny has more than 20 years’ experience working in the development, youth work and environmental sectors. He worked with Dóchas as Project Coordinator for the European Year for Development 2015 and with the National Youth Council of Ireland as Development Education Programme Coordinator from 2004 to 2012.
He was chairperson of Comhlámh from 2013-2016. He has a background in Environmental Science and worked as a volunteer in Central America during the 1990s.