Independent People - Tricia McKenna

A native of Scotland, Tricia McKenna came to live in Coosan with her parents during the 1980s, at a time when Ireland endured a recession similar to the one ravaging the country now. A business studies graduate, she became involved in the community and voluntary sector when working to set up a telecentre for Athlone Community Taskforce. Now, as the community development officer for Westmeath Community Development Limited, she is responsible for a number of projects aimed at benefiting the elderly and developing communities in the county. A recent project was the establishment of the Older Peoples' Forum in Westmeath, which involves the formulation of an action plan for senior citizens in towns and villages around the county. "It's about recognising the contribution of older people to society, and giving them a voice," Tricia told the Westmeath Independent, underlining the fact that there are 47 senior citizens' groups in Westmeath, which WCDL assists. "The forum meets four times a year, and the attendance continues to be very good." Tricia is happy that the Older Peoples' Forum gives senior citizens direction and a sense of safety and wellbeing in uncertain times. "A lot of the people we deal with are living on their own, and the clubs and activities we introduce them to gives them something to look forward to," she said. "Older people are aware that society has changed from 30 or 40 years ago, and safety is a big issue. They feel vulnerable at times. "But it's also true to say that many of them have been through two recessions before, and they have great survival skills. They know what it's like to live off a budget." In consultation with the Westmeath Community Development Board, WCDL in recent years designed and commenced implementing an action plan for older people in order to help provide an effective voice for all older people in Westmeath, who are over 55, on issues which affect their quality of life, health and wellbeing. The strategy also promotes the social inclusion of older people including the very old and most vulnerable in society. One of the first actions proposed under the plan is to improve the quality of research data relating to older people in Westmeath. A special group, involving the various agencies such as St. Vincent de Paul, Garda, HSE and non-governmental organisations and statutory bodies, including Westmeath County Council and the HSE, has been established to spearhead this research. The research will help to identify and GIS map all older people over 60 years in the county and then identify the current services and supports available in each local area. The group will also carry out research with older people regarding access and quality of services and the levels of inclusion/social exclusion and or isolation experienced by older people. Tricia explained that the availability of such accurate information would assist, for example, in the better and speedier delivery of assistance to senior citizens in the event of a repeat of the floods of last November. Working with communities is also central to Tricia's role at WCDL. Her work with voluntary groups can be divided into pre-development activities and "capacity training". "In our pre-development work and the training that follows, we help people in communities to maximise their skills, influence social change, and to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour," Tricia continued. "We also support family resource centres to encourage people in disadvantaged areas. Tricia said that the battle for heightened social inclusion is one requiring input from all agencies. "We know that Westmeath County Council has an excellent history of working with people in disadvantaged areas, and we're complementing what's been done already," she said. Westmeath County Council also recently honoured the work of the older people's forum when it awarded the group a Special Category Award at the annual Cathaoirleach's Awards. The Glasgow native has been in this line of work for fifteen years, and has enjoyed every minute of it. Her first major project was the establishment of a telecentre run by Athlone Community Taskforce, and staffed by lone parents, and people with disabilities. The project was a tremendous success, and eventually FÁS stepped in to establish it as a community employment scheme for a year. She resumed her work in Athlone on behalf of the Mullingar-based Westmeath Employment Network, and running a FÁS jobs club. In October 2007, Tricia came back to Mullingar to start in her current role with Westmeath Community Development, which was formed at the start of the decade after a merger between the LEADER programme in Mullingar, and Athlone Community Taskforce. Tricia resides in Streete, and she is proud of the fact that her eldest daughter, Heather, is pursuing a qualification in Social Studies. "It's gone full circle now. My dad always had a great social conscience, and now it looks like it has passed on to Heather," she remarked. A keen sports enthusiast, Tricia is also proud that her younger children - both students at Castlepollard Community College - have inherited their mother's interest in sport. Being from the green side of Glasgow, her family remains loyal to the Glasgow Celtic tradition. Living in the midst of a tightly-knit rural community in north Westmeath has opened Tricia's eyes to what a positive voluntary spirit can do. She praises the strong community ethic and dedication in Streete, and looks forward to the completion of rural project, such as the senior citizens' park at Coole in the next six months. As someone who came from the built-up, industrial areas of Glasgow, Tricia experienced somewhat of a "culture shock" when she came to live in Coosan. "I remember having to cycle to school, and things were so different in the countryside than the city," she said. "Of course everything has changed now to a degree, but I think the Irish have being easygoing down to perfection. There's a sort of safety to the culture and environment in Ireland, and it allows people to live at a slower place. It's much different from Glasgow." But she is clearly passionate about her chosen career. "It feels like a vocation in a way. There's a lot of evening work, but it's very rewarding, and you learn so much from going into communities and seeing the level of commitment there is."