Community Partners

College Connect is about developing a partnership between college and the community organisations that support the most underrepresented groups in college. Both the colleges and the community organisations have one specific thing in common, they both want people to be able to reach their full potential.  College Connect have had the opportunity to work with several community organisations that help represent the voices of the communities that College Connect are working for with.

Below are some of the community organisations that have become community partners through their participation in the College Connect programme.

One Family is Ireland’s national organisation for one-parent families. We work with all types and all members of one-parent families, respecting the realities of family life, to affect positive change and achieve equality and social inclusion for all one-parent families in Ireland. The One Family Programmes Service aims to empower lone parents to take the next steps into education or work. We understand the experience of parenting alone and sharing parenting and how challenging it can be to move back into education or find fulfilling employment. Our New Steps Personal Development and New Futures QQI level 4 Employability Programme have been designed for lone parents who want to return to or begin education and work but are not sure where to start.  These bridging programmes provide parents with the confidence, skills and support needed to progress to education and employment.

Contact Niamh for more information

Website: One Family

Contact Information: phone 01 6629212/ Email nwynne@onefamily.ie

The National Traveller Women's Forum is the National Network of Traveller women and Traveller women's organisations from throughout Ireland. We recognise the particular oppression of Traveller women in Irish society and are working to address this issue through the provision of opportunities to Traveller women to meet, share experiences, ideas and develop collective strategies and skills to work towards the enhancement of their position in society. Traveller women are one of the most marginalised groups in Irish society and Traveller women’s experience of inequality and discrimination differs to that of the majority population or other minority groups, as is their experience of racism and discrimination is different to Traveller men. The needs of Traveller women may not be met by responses and strategies designed to confront and tackle gender inequality or ethnic discrimination alone, i.e. without an examination of the interaction of ethnic disadvantage/discrimination. Acknowledging and addressing this experience is central to outcomes for Traveller women, as the experience of a Traveller  woman will sometimes be distinctive because she is a woman, sometimes because she is a Traveller, and sometimes because she is both.

Website: National Traveller Women's Forum

Contact Information: phone +353 (0) 1 6727430/ email info@ntwf.net


Founded in 1996, The Pathways Centre is an outreach initiative of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) Education Service to Prisons.

The Pathways Centre offers respite to former prisoners in the crucial period after release by providing information, education, counselling, support and referral in a safe and understanding environment.

The Pathways Centre is staffed by fully qualified Teachers and qualified Counsellors.

During Covid19 the Pathways Centre are providing counselling service that is fully operational and a selection of online supports / classes currently running during lockdown. Visit their website for more information about the service they provide.

Website: Pathways Centre

Contact Information: phone 086 0358693/ email info@pathwayscentre.ie

The Irish Refuge Council provides services and support for people seeking protection and people recognised as refugees in Ireland and advocate for humane and dignified protection procedures and responses to people fleeing persecution.

They work with people who have to flee their home country, as it is no longer safe for them to be there. The most visible example of this is people fleeing war or conflict. However, persecution is not always born of war or conflict.

They also work with people who face persecution that is less visible. People who have experienced torture, death threats, and violence because of aspects of their identity or their actions – persecution based on their sexual identity, their religious beliefs, their political stance, for protesting, for being female or for being an ethnic minority.

Website: Irish Refugee Council

Email: info@irishrefugeecouncil.ie

General phone queries: 017645854

dis ABILITY Louth is Co.Louth based membership, primarily volunteers, seeking to promote, develop, and engage the interests of all persons with disABILITY in society.

Objectives of the Group:

  1. To improve physical, emotional and learning access for persons with disability who may have additional requirements.
  2. To better enable persons with disability to use talents and skills to benefit society in Louth, to focus on ability rather than disability.
  3. To enable full participation by ensuring that communication methods used within the group do not exclude any member.
  4. To ensure inclusiveness for persons with disability through engagement with statutory bodies, enterprise and employment organisations, education and training providers, the commercial sector, community organisations and local decision making bodies.
  5. To raise awareness of the challenges faced by persons with different types of disability and highlight how small changes can promote inclusion.
  6. To increase our membership, to better ensure a wider representation of disability and to have a stronger collective voice.

Website : disAbility Louth

Email : info@disabilitylouth.ie

Telephone: 085 8660507