{"id":10486,"date":"2025-03-14T14:55:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atdireland.ie\/wp\/?page_id=10486"},"modified":"2025-03-14T14:59:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:59:04","slug":"what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-community-activist","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.atdireland.ie\/wp\/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-community-activist\/","title":{"rendered":"What does it mean to be a Community Activist"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u201cTo see people standing up and speaking in their voice – that\u2019s what feeds my passion.\u00a0<\/span>Being a community activist means that you have the opportunity to change things and put hidden issues on a public agenda. It offers the <\/span>chance to build people up who have constantly been beaten down by society and the system. I love when people who have been written off from their earliest school days manage to get into college education or a good job and then go on to help others in a similar manner. ATD gives communities a platform that the system would never provide.\u201d <\/span><\/strong>– Community activist Paul<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Paul speaking at a film launch about discrimination<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Poverty awareness training with social workers at Galway University<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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“It’s very important to me to be a community activist because living in poverty and growing up around it, even today seeing the teenagers selling drugs to have money – I want a better world for my children an i’ll fight till the end to see change in the country. Walking around Dublin city looking at the homeless and the addiction surrounding homelessness, how can we keep living like this? Someone has to give them a voice. Seeing change for my children an every child’s future”<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>– Community activist Lorraine<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Lorraine and Jimmy speaking about discrimination at a UN event <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Lorraine at the European Union in Vienna<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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“To be a community activist for me – it’s saving my life but it’s also paving the way for my kid’s future and all other kids”<\/strong> <\/span>– Community activist Andrew<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Andrew speaking at IHREC event about equality in employment<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Going to a meeting with Minister Roderic O Gorman<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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“I enjoy being an ATD community activist because ATD is important in how it gives people a voice and a vote and you are not judged or discriminated against because you’re a Traveller or because you live in the homeless service or you’re from a particular area etc. I feel safe there and I have support and I feel that it’s important for the community. I enjoy the different projects like working with Trinity and spreading awareness and with our Liberties Lockdown group, where we were able to explain life through covid in writing.” <\/span><\/strong>– Community activist Christina<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Christina at the European Parliament in Brussels<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Christina and Jimmy reading poetry on the radio<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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“A community activist to me is a person who can see through the agenda that was made to destroy him and his community. A brave individual who speaks up for himself and represents his community by speaking out and raising awareness”<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>– Community activist Gavin<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Gavin on film speaking about Darndale<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Gavin in Leinster House promoting the campaign to end socio- economic discrimination<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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“Being a community activist is very important because it’s always good to raise your voice because if you don’t raise your voice you won’t be able to be heard. You can raise your voice not only for yourself but for others and to help others as well. It’s important also to reach out and to make connection” <\/span><\/strong>– Community activist Jimmy<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Jimmy speaking to social work students at Trinity College<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Jimmy performing at the launch of our poetry book<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t