How can you change your community for the better?

Innovating Communities is a free training and mentoring project designed to empower local people and groups to work together and overcome Challenges facing their areas in Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth. Training Courses are available here for anyone to register their interest in.

Courses have been developed based on public submissions to the Challenge Bank and will teach you, along with fellow community members, the proven principles of Design Thinking to target these Challenges.

You can sign up now to get updates on the project as it develops. Once registered you can submit Challenges, register for Courses as they go live and meet like-minded learners. It's time to innovate for your community!

about the project

Training

Browse and sign up to the range of Design Thinking courses we offer.

Designing Kiltyclogher’s Future

Social Enterprise: An Answer to the Digital Div...

Creating a Services and Outreach Centre for Ray...

Reducing Costs and Generating Income for Social...

A recreation corridor from Donegal's heartland ...

Attracting People to Live and Work in County Mo...

Action Planning for Community Facilities

Bridging the Digital Divide

Youth Services in Bundoran

all courses

The Challengers Journey

After signing up you can become a Challenger and join Courses based on shared Challenges submitted in your county or across the whole region. Challengers will take part in Courses which focus on their Challenges or areas of interest, to learn to create and enact solutions.

119 Challenges

Challenges facing the area that might be tackled by Design Thinking

Mental Health space

Health and Wellbeing, Place & Space

Mental Health space

to create a space where people experiencing mental health issues such as anxiety or depression can go to just "be". A safe space with a calming relaxing atmosphere, where people can just sit and be relaxed or complete a jigsaw, read a book, do some colouring in a colouring book, listen to some relaxing music on headphones or interact and chat with another person, their choice, no pressure. No professionals or therapists, just ordinary people who can listen without judgement or advice.

Funding for dedicated Eating Disorder services

COVID, Education / Training, Health and Wellbeing, Youth Development

Funding for dedicated Eating Disorder services

more dedicated treatment services for people with eating disorders and more funding for these services. better awareness of the services that do exist too. during covid19, it's reported that there's been a 66% rise in eating disorder hospital admissions.

Farm to Fork

Social Enterprise, Business, Natural Resources, Biodiversity, Health and Wellbeing, Children and Families, Food & Drink

Farm to Fork

To provide support to evaluate the possibilities for small farmers to reposition their value in the rural community. To add value to existing farm produce, to share resources to ensure ongoing and shared production of local produce with an outlet for sales, marketing, research and development.

Village regeneration through infrastructure imp...

Business, Development Group, Local Services, Education / Training, Town Centres, Children and Families, Infrastructure

Village regeneration through infrastructure imp...

To create community cohesion, participation and buy in from the wider community. To create a shared vision to address local dereliction, parking, walking, birdwatching, by implementing an economic priority for the local community first.

River and lakeshore amenity development

Natural Resources, Biodiversity, Tourism, Place & Space

River and lakeshore amenity development

Development of walkways around river and lakeshore areas. Incorporating biodiversity and water protection measures

Celebrating and Safeguarding our Ancient Landsc...

Natural Resources, Local Services, Education / Training, Tourism, Place & Space

Celebrating and Safeguarding our Ancient Landsc...

It's been widely reported that vandalism of Neolithic tombs is an increasing problem across Sligo. A visitor centre on our ancient landscapes could serve a variety of purposes - job creation, education opportunities for local schools, drawcard for tourists, and a way to publicise the importance of the sites and the need to protect them. It could be both a way fundraise for action and a central hub for the groups that are working towards greater education about, and protection of, Sligo landscapes and all its associated stories.

Kiltyclogher - A vibrant and sustainable future...

Smart Villages

Kiltyclogher - A vibrant and sustainable future...

This challenge will help to develop and sustain the many unique aspects of Kiltyclogher village, its community, and surrounding rural area.

Social Enterprise - Reducing Costs and Generati...

Social Enterprise

Social Enterprise - Reducing Costs and Generati...

This Course will support and mentor social enterprises throughout Donegal to plan and develop for sustainability in the wake of the COVID pandemic. It is vital but challenging for social enterpises to generate income while doing the most with what they have available. The restrictions potentially offer time to plan and strategise methods and new routes for operating, generating income, focussing resources and planning for the future. Design Thinking will help you approach these matters in a new way, allowing you to generate creative solutions and problem solve efficiently. The process can also be applied to other challenges in the future.’

view all in challenge bank

43 Groups

Spaces to share thoughts and ideas with others about topics of interest

Archaeology Matters Sligo

Sligo

Archaeology Matters Sligo

This is for anyone who is an archaeologist in Co. Sligo or a local historian/heritage enthusiast who would like to raise issues in regard to site condition and how we can initiate conservation of sites that are in need of help. Also, other friendly discussions can be had around topics of interest, new sites being discovered etc. and how we can raise awareness of the existence of vulnerable sites.

Geevagh Mens shed

Sligo

Geevagh Mens shed

We are based in the old community hall in Geevagh

McGahern Trail

Leitrim

McGahern Trail

Interpretative trail for John McGahern fans with a number of interpretative centres along the way. Between Mohill Fenagh Ballinamore and Aughawillan, the area where he grew up and lived for many years, that inspired a lot of his writing. It could be in conjunction with the development of a greenway based along the old Cavan Leitrim railway which stretches along this route. Tourists are coming to the area to find out where he lived and what inspired him - at the moment we don't offer anything cohesive to that tourist... there are significant opportunities here for these communities....

Break free from Addiction

Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan

Break free from Addiction

This would be a group that i would hope would help families aswell as addicts to overcome their addiction with help and advice it would be for drugs,alcohol and prescription medication where help will always be at hand if needed with no judgement on the person or their families

Corduff Raferagh Community Centre

Monaghan

Corduff Raferagh Community Centre

We are a rural community centre in Corduff, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan which became a Broadband Connection Point in 2020. We operate a state-of-the-art facility with large hall and stage, fully equipped catering kitchen, meeting rooms, training room and a social club. We have over 15 organisation using the facilities for music, sport, drama, dancing, training courses, meeting and events. We cater for all age groups and Bright Sparks Playschool and Afterschool is located in the facility.

Bundoran Community Development CLG

Donegal, Leitrim

Bundoran Community Development CLG

We are a community development in Bundoran. We operate the Bundoran Community Centre.

Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI)

Leitrim

Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI)

Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI) is an environmental NGO that focuses on animating Climate Action, especially in rural areas of Ireland. It is also an ESC coordinating organisation, hosting young European volunteers and sending groups abroad to work on the environment. GEAI is based in Leitrim but its remit is all-island. It is a member of the Irish Environmental Pillar and has links with environmental groups nationally and internationally. It was founded in 2011 and is a Registered Charity (No. 20154646). Its Directors are all volunteers. GEAI was at the forefront of the campaign against fracking (2011-2017), which resulted in legislation signed into law in 2017, banning on-shore fracking in Ireland. Now, our mission has shifted towards the promotion of a climate-resilient future for rural communities.

Tallanstown Walkway

Louth

Tallanstown Walkway

To Create a dedicated river walkway in Tallanstown which would be part of the Tain Trail.

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What's New

Find out what's been happening on Innovating Communities

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Cavan

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Cavan– where the aim is to strengthen local development and community-led action through Design Thinking skills and to work in groups to overcome local challenges collaboratively. Cavan County Local Deve...

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Don...

Welcome to the Innovating Communities Donegal which is being led by Donegal Local Development CLG. We are excited to be joining 6 counties to deliver design thinking training to our community members. In Donegal, we have partnered with Icecream Ar...

Welcome to Innovating Communities County Sligo

Welcome the Innovating Communities Sligo which is being led by Sligo LEADER Partnership. We are excited to be joining 5 other counties to deliver design thinking training to our community members. In Sligo we have partnered with Icecream Architect...

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Louth

Welcome the Innovating Communities Louth which is being led by Louth LEADER Partnership. We are excited to be joining 6 counties to deliver design thinking training to our community members. In Louth we have partnered with Icecream Architecture to...

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Sligo

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Louth

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Mon...

Welcome to Innovating Communities in County Monaghan - where the sky is the limit!We, at Monaghan Integrated Development CLG, are excited to lead this project and join our 6 neighbour counties Cavan, Louth, Leitrim, Donegal and Sligo, to deliver D...

And we're off! Watch the Regional Launch Event ...

We were over the moon to have Heather Humphreys, TD, Minister of Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, launch our Innovating Communities Programme (ICP) yesterday, Wednesday 17th February.The Minister commended the ai...

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