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Arts and Disadvantage We were very pleased that the report of the Dail Committee was published because it makes a strong case for local arts plans and programmes to include social inclusion actions. That is really important for FRCs when they apply to local and national arts funding. Here are some facts:

The purpose of the Dáil Éireann Committee on Utilising the Arts to Combat Disadvantage was to “identify how the arts are reaching the people most in need, adding value to local community involvement and participation”.

Currently, the Arts Council, the City Council Arts Office or Public Art Officer is not required to promote social inclusion through the Arts.

The reality is that the Arts in Ireland has never faced the stark reality of cultural inequality and the absence of appropriate arts provision for groups whose disadvantage makes them invisible to the State . We need to incorporate critical voices from disadvantaged communities and civil society (e.g. FRCs!) italics my own

Blue Print 2015-2019

Thank you to all who are informing our new strategic plan, Blue Print 2015-2019. Keep sending us your ideas as we will finalise it before the end of February. Three strands of work that we want to flag are:

(1) Family, Art and Pedagogy through activities like:

Exploring creativity in the context of a

national parenting strategy.

Provincial We Are Family workshop series;

(2) Community Culture, Equality and

Rights through activities like:

Community Culture via DIY clusters in each province to network and train;

Equality and Rights– to co-deliver workshops about the value of rights in family support and community development with others.

(3) Cooperative ventures and

Sustainability through activities like:

Position the organisation in a new co-operative and co-creative context;

Animate a ‘hub’ from which to deliver local, national and international programmes in cooperative ventures with civil society;

Attract people and places to conversations and exchanges focused on new forms of participation.

FRCs Celebrating Anniversary

Each year ask FRCs to tell us if they are celebrating an anniversary. This year we returned to Ballyboden as a follow on from their previous years artwork celebrating their 20 year anniversary. We explored, through the use of clay sculpture, symbols which could communicate the ethos of the family resource centre. Please write to us if you are celebrating in 2015 blue.drum@yahoo.com

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United Nations

FLAC submitted on behalf of civil society to the UN in October 2014 entitled Our Voice, Our Rights, a parallel report in response to Ireland’s Third Report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The official Irish launch was in November in the Mansion House. Blue Drum formed part of the panel on the day presenting the importance of art and creativity and the right to culture and its resources.

As part of the next phase of FLAC’s campaign on reporting on economic, social and cultural rights in Ireland to the UN leading up to the examination of the State in June 2015 in Geneva FLAC will be launch very shortly a new website www.ourvoiceourrights.ie.

Rebirth Day

This is the first year we sent out a call for symbolic actions on Dec 21 (shortest day of the year) called Rebirth Day. Rebirth-Day is about making an Action for Change with the means at your disposal. We hope to grow this initiative in 2015 and 2016. Here is a link Waterford based Jeffery Gormly, Dance of myself: www.bluedrum.ie

Cultural Rights Workshop

In November we delivered a two day workshop with Listowel Family Resource Centre’s Mens Shed where we explored culture and difference, facilitating drama and creative workshops which encouraged participants to discuss the roles and needs of men.

_______ communiqué the quarterly review of blue drum’s activities e: bluedrummers@gmail.com www.bluedrum.ie Issue 8 / Dec 2014