Challenge Bank

Do you have a Challenge in your area that you think could be solved through Design Thinking? Take the next step in your Challenger journey by adding it to the bank!

Courses will be based on the Challenges that people like you, across the region, feel need fresh and innovative thinking. To do this, we’re asking everyone to submit the Challenges that they’d like to tackle collaboratively.

Like and comment on other people's Challenges to show support and increase its chance of being included in a Course. You can filter Challenges by county or category.

Roll over a Challenge for more details. Click to go to the Challenge and like it or leave a comment.

Click to go to the Challenge and like it or leave a comment.

add new challenge

How do we encourage people to live in the town centres

How do we encourage people to live in the town ...

We have a homeless crisis in Ireland yet towns in Ireland have houses which are unoccupied as well as shops with living quarters upstairs and no one in them. What do we need to do to encourage people to live in towns, such as families or older people in supported living accommodation? Would energy saving and noise reducing initiatives have an impact ? What would entice you to live in a town centre? Renovating houses would improve the dereliction in a lot of towns and make them nicer places to live in & visit.

Monaghan

How do we attract high quality jobs to the county

We need high quality ,sustainable and well paid jobs to attract people to the county and to ensure that graduates can find suitable employment which gives them scope to grow and stay .

Monaghan

Clinics/hubs for Volunteer led groups to navigate a range of strategic issues to help them thrive

Clinics/hubs for Volunteer led groups to naviga...

There are a lot of governance issues for groups to contend with, and it can be challenging to find appropriate support when it is needed. While people can access training – often at the point in time when they have a challenge or question it can be hard to know where to go. Would there be a benefit in a clinic type arrangement or physical hub or ongoing mentoring panel. There are lots of accessible supports for SME’s or start ups. Is there a similar model for Not for Profits, or is there some other solution that could be available on an ongoing basis?

Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth

Volunteering as a tool to combat loneliness

Pre Covid, we met many people who came to us wanting to volunteer. However, it was apparent that they also wanted to connect with their communities, meet people, improve their language skills perhaps. Volunteering is inevitably a tool for achieving these things. The landscape has changed now and people are lonelier and more isolated than ever. How can communities respond to this? What opportunities are there in communities for people to get involved and achieve these aims.

Sligo

Lack of support for individuals in Community Groups

Lack of support for individuals in Community Gr...

The biggest challenge that facing a Community Group is the complete lack of financial support for the individuals. The programs that currently exist are simply not fit for purpose. The Pobal Scheme just does not work as the bar is way too high. There is an overemphasis on generating incomes and does not take any heed of the actions being delivered. There simply has to be another scheme involved because there was so many good ideas in the community and voluntary sector but they are being stifled by bureaucracy/

Donegal

Promotion of positive mental health in lockdown.

Lockdown has been hard for most of us and now more than ever communication, conversation and a pair of listening ears are so important.

Donegal

Service exchanges between small businesses

Create a " bank" of professionals willing to exchange services in the form of lending skills and expertise to each other ie. a digital marketing professional could work on website optimisation for an electrician in exchange for equivalent hours of work ) . This could help create synergies and lead to more creative solutions and allow for growth through innovation in a " cash-poor" environment .

N/A

Develop sustainable tourism solutions

Create a wider range of sustainable tourist experiences to be consumed both from national and International travellers . The main aim should be to reduce the downfall of future pandemics, allow producers and growers to find new markets , maintain and create more local employment and diversify revenue streams.

Louth

E Governance

Utilise digital technology to transform governance by increasing transparency, accountability and public participation

Sligo, Cavan

National Cycling Centre - Coolaney

Coolaney Development Company’s objective is to become a focal point for Ireland’s cycling community and cycling tourists. As a result Coolaney is pursuing development of a National Cycling Centre in our village. This vision is similar to Strandhill Co. Sligo's one of developing a National Surf Centre and, like Strandhill’s surf amenity, Coolaney’s cycling amenity is both unique and world class. Coolaney is already an important location for cycling in the North West: We have fantastic cycling routes in the Ox Mountains and in 2018 these hosted the Irish National Cycling Championships. Our National Mountain Bike Centre is a fantastic resource for Mountain Bikers. Coolaney is located on EuroVelo 1, which is an 11,000 km signposted Atlantic Coast Cycling Route starting in Norway and finishing in Portugal. A Greenway may also pass through Coolaney at some point (Sligo Greenway). Combined we believe these to amount to an ideal National Cycling Centre location & resource.

Sligo

Clear & prevent litter on our roadsides, parks and waterways.

Clear & prevent litter on our roadsides, parks ...

There is a big problem in Monaghan with litter along the roadsides in both the town and the more rural areas. The canals and along the greenways have become stagnant and filled with rubbish too and these are great features of our town that have been developed in recent years but have since declined a bit. We really need to work on maintaining the work that has already gone into the area! The greenway being extended will be wonderful too but I believe this is already in the plans.

Monaghan

Insurance Costs for community groups and social enterprises

Insurance Costs for community groups and social...

There is a lack of competitive insurance provision for community groups and social enterprises. Small Community groups and charities could be forced to cease operations as a result. There may be an opportunity for a social enterprise to meet this need.

Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth

Help Sustain Social Enterprises using alternative local energy like hydro or wind alternative

Help Sustain Social Enterprises using alternati...

Investigate Natural Resources available locally

Donegal

Local Climate Dialogue

Bringing climate action down to local (county or regional) level, empowering community and individual ownership of the problem.

Leitrim

Health and well being

Encouraging self care, eating well and learning to look after our own mental health. Healthy body, healthy mind..

Donegal

Improved accessibility for people with disabilities

Improved accessibility for people with disabili...

Improved accessibility for people with disabilities to towns, villages, transport, businesses, etc.

Cavan, Monaghan, Louth

Irish Cultural Activities

Provide opportunities for all generations to participate in Irish cultural activities - language, song, dance, recitation, drama

Donegal

Inclusivity & Sustainability of a New Community Sports & Physical Activity Hub

Inclusivity & Sustainability of a New Community...

We wish to generate a myriad of activities that adequately meets the need of everyone in the community and beyond. In particular we want to address inactivity and social isolation, particularly among the older and younger generations, as well as those with additional needs. We want to explore how to motivate people to become more physically active in pursuance of health and wellbeing.

Donegal