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.

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Using the Masterplan to Develop the Sliabh Beagh Area

Using the Masterplan to Develop the Sliabh Beag...

Funding is needed to develop the area. The Sliabh Beagh area is a beautiful amenity in North Monaghan that has been underdeveloped and underfunded. The Sliabh Beagh Masterplan has been created with ideas to develop and enhance the area. These ideas need funding to be progressed.

Monaghan

Jobs

High end jobs presently are in the cities. Could some of these be distributed throughout the island?

Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth

Keeping towns and villages viable

Finding new uses for closed up buildings attracting more people to live work and spend time locally

Cavan

Diversification opportunities for farmers

What non-agricultural or novel enterprise opportunities available to farmers

Cavan

Creating infrastructure to develop sustainable craft enterprises in rural communities

Creating infrastructure to develop sustainable...

The last factory within the village was a guinness bottling facility that closed in the 1990s. We identified a pressing need for collective workspaces for the many creatives that live in the village. Creatives include; ceramic artists woodworkers, bakers, designers, furniture makers, antique restorers, textile workers, web designers. Despite living in a small village covid-19 lockdown has highlighted the massive potential of online sales and the support that is shown to Irish businesses by buying local. Creating a craft quarter in kiltyclogher could not only drive light manufacturing but also supply back to the local tourism industry. With higher footfall, ancillary services would be needed, including a cafe and craft shop that would also greatly benefit the community in its social aspects.

Leitrim

EV Electric Vehicle Interpretive Centres joint funded by vehicle manufactures'/government

EV Electric Vehicle Interpretive Centres joint...

Ireland is banning the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030.In less than nine years from now motorists will be asked to embrace new technologies in a new form of transport most have never used before. To help this transition E.V. centres are needed to assist the motoring public in becoming familiar with the use of such vehicles. Here they can test drive different models by hiring and taking them on a circuit provided by the centre. In doing so such fears as range anxiety can be addressed and the advantages of owning such vehicles can be shown in a hands on experience. I feel this could speed up the interest in such vehicles by familiarising the public on a need to know basis. These centres could also help in making the transition to E.V.s less challenging as we approach the 2030 deadline. These centres would arguably be the first of their kind in Ireland and bring other benefits such as tourism. Here visiting families can experience the future of travel.

N/A, Sligo

Art & information hiking Trail over the peaks of the iron Mts. Co. Leitrim

Art & information hiking Trail over the peaks o...

Development of a hiking trail from- either 1; the Cuilcagh ’stairway to Heaven’ to Drumshanbo. Or 2; Blacklion to Drumshanbo via the Cavan Burren, the Shannon Pot, up to Glangevlin, over Sliabh na Cille, then join the Leitrim way/Beara-Breifne way to Drumshanbo. Along the route there could be sculptures, murals , and various other art installations that make the journey more memorable, inspiring, and educational as to the area's local history, wildlife, and the Tuatha de Danann. I have mapped out possible routes but would like a team to help develop the initiative. Another asset that can be developed along this route is the dis-used old cottages along the way. These cottages are often in excess of 300years and are a monument to Irish history. Forgotten and left to crumble these cottages can be restored as 'museum' type locations/destination that can be preserved, used as resting/ information points, café, and even accommodation to generate income to the landowners.

Leitrim, Cavan

Local Museums

Every village in Ireland has a rich history. A history that American tourists, among many others come to find. Why don't we give them somewhere to experience this history. I wanted to open a museum in Drumkeeran, but..... With co-operation from other areas, and with the whole community pulling together, every village could have a little museum. Filled with pictures from the past. Stories from some of the families that have lived here forever. Something in every town or village for the tourists and new residents to learn about the locality, and of Ireland in general and it's place in the world. Most villages have an empty building that could be utilised. Every village have people who could man it. Volunteers to begin with, but in time, they could be paid from the income from the museum entrance fee. Local children could help build the exhibits, and then future generations could visit as part of history lessons. Depending on the ambition of the local community it could go prehistoric

Leitrim

Keeping the West open

Find a way to keep more of Irelands tourist things open longer. The local hotel closes for six months and with it one of our swimming pools. More people moved West during the pandemic, so these people and those already living here need to be recognised. When the tourists go, there is still a population who want to live, to experience things, to enjoy their weekends. It is more important now with the people from the East moving here. If there is nothing for them to do here, what stops them moving back East. It may mean opening shorter hours, or operating differently, but there us still money among the populace, we have to travel to Dublin for music events, don't make u have to travel for everything we want to do.

Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan

Retail

"That's lovely! Will I click 'buy'? Don't [think] it's available in town." It's a crucial moment. 'Convenience now vs searching town' Bigtech's unfair advantage is scale and 'frictionless' user experience (UXUI) Indigenous retailers by nature will always struggle, is there alternatives to connect that user, that item, with our bricks & mortar reseller? Local gov, if you're listening, help me, help town. We at Glofend Technologies are working on a possible solution to connect offline retailers with online buyers.

Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth

Town Vitality, How to increase population & visitors

Town Vitality, How to increase population & vis...

Increase town residents = more evening-trade, activity, life, vibrancy, save retail! Your ideas..? Imagine walking through the Savoy Cinema doors (shut 30+ years) into a #CultureQuarter, a hidden village of ...? Craft making, Arts, Studios, 3Dprinting resident’s waste plastic. Affordable indigenous commercial units like 'Donegal Village'. Older generations; could we see a return of reLearning-old-trades before they're lost forever? Mixed-income, multi-generational community-led housing is a norm in many countries. Until more learn Cohousing is not CoLiving, we'll never catch up with other UK/EU towns/cities. or does Sligo continue w 'flats' where nobody needs know their neighbour, or community. Sligo's Courthouse Block ..still ignored, Dereliction has compounded vacancy. #NormalPeople want to live in warmer communities. Down-sizers deserve better options than retirement or nursing village. We can build better stuff in better places!

Sligo

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

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

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

Create New Community Woodlands

The Covid 19 2km and 5km restrictions further highlighted the the need for woodland in and near our towns. People of all ages have a renewed appreciation of the importance of woodlands to our health and well-being. We have a great opportunity to bring more woodland into our towns, making them healthier, more attractive places to live, work and visit, while also helping to improve biodiversity.

Monaghan

Exclusive Design thinking community

The challenge is to bring together government agencies, social groups,business and individuals within our communities of all levels of understanding in relation to design thinking in an exclusive environment to recognise the value each has to offer in the development of our communities. To share and learn from each other, together.

Monaghan

Festivals - evolving to work in a new environment

Festival groups looking at the challenges brought by COVID restrictions, BREXIT, inflexibility of funding to meet these changes, new ways of delivery.

Sligo