Mon 14/05/2007
Feasibility Study says yes to Ballaghadereen Pool
"We have done all the studies; we are now ready for action. Let us put a deadline on the opening of the long awaited and much need Swimming Pool in Ballaghadereen" said John Kelly on his canvass over the weekend.
"After twenty years of broken promises, I am delighted to announce that Ballaghadereen Community has taken the next step in the process of building a much needed swimming pool for the area. We have just lodged the feasibility study that was commissioned by the Roscommon County Council to the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism," said Kelly.
"The study highlights the fact that there is the same justification for having a swimming pool in Ballaghadereen as there is for having one in Roscommon Town. This issue has been around for along time and we are now delighted that from any level of analysis the Pool is needed and justifiable. I am now calling on the Government to deal with this issue expeditiously, and kick start the building process," Kelly said in conclusion
Mon 07/05/2007
Kelly Launches three point youth policy
John Kelly launched his ideas on youth policy that will truly help develop tomorrow’s leaders he claims.
- There is a blatant lack of age appropriate and inclusive youth facilities around the constituency.
“Initially it is important to understand that today’s youth don’t all engage in sports – further more the facilities must appeal to today’s youth. With this in mind, I believe the HSE funded Gaf Café in Eglington Street in Galway should be duplicated around the country. It offers a place where youth can chill, meet and develop in a modern context. In addition to the obvious facilities it also gives participants opportunity to get involved in creative pursuits e.g., making music, art etc.
At this moment in time, I am aware that Barna are in the process of developing a Friends type café for their youth which will also focus on offer activities that will boost the interpersonal and creative intelligence of the children in addition to getting them off the streets.
- Without doubt, though one could argue many of today’s youth are receiving everything on a conveyor belt; it is still a challenging environment for many of our young people. I think as a society we need to focus on developing the children’s self esteem, problem solving and coping skills. Without doubt, the Department of Education need to focus more on developing a more holistic syllabus as opposed to churning out grades machines without the necessary social know how to be able to say no to peer pressure, to be able to ride life’s little rollercoaster and so on.
- Youth Councils. In the current environment, it is not surprising that there is huge cynicism amongst today’s youth vis-à-vis politics – one great way of dealing with this would be for their immediate engagement. Let’s starting listening to our youth. The Youth Councils would operate similar to their more senior counterparts. Donegal Youth Council is a successful case in point.
Of course the fact that the election has been called mid week is yet again more evidence of the lack of respect we are showing to tomorrows leaders.
Kelly calls for footpaths on Danger road.
John Kelly voiced his concerns about the lack of footpaths on the road from Carrick on Shannon to the night club.
“Walking on the road in the middle of the day is dangerous enough, but in the middle of the night returning from a disco, is an invitation to disaster,” claims Kelly and continued by expressing his shock that the people’s wishes haven’t listened to in this regard.
Wed 18/04/2007
Cllr John Kelly called on parents to ensure that their sons/daughters exercise their democratic right by getting them to sign up for a postal vote, if they are not in a position to return home on polling day.
"If the Government is not going to make it easy for tomorrow’s leaders to have an influence on the outcome of this election, hopefully parents can help facilitate the process," said Kelly.
"Based on my canvass, the mood is for change; people from all demographics have enough of the forgotten status label that the Government has put on rural Ireland and hopefully they will show their feeling in the ballot box," Kelly concluded,
Mon 16/04/2007
Cllr John Kelly has called on the Government to
“Get serious about listening to our youth”
With this in mind Kelly has called on the Government to set up Youth Council mirroring County Councils right around the country.
“This model works very well in Donegal where for example the council had been in constant contact with the Dept. of Education regarding the school transport issue, long before the school bus accident in Co.Meath,” according to Kelly.
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“The fact is it is time we paid more than lip service to today’s youth, tomorrows leaders by giving them a voice. This bottom up approach of electing the youth to speak for themselves will have many benefits,” says Kelly.
- Obviously to start, nobody has a better knowledge of youth issues than the youth themselves. The traditional top down approach whereby Govt Ministers dictate youth policy has not worked as well as it should. At the moment there is a very fragmented approach to youth representation with separate youth councils (all doing their best) partially representing the youth. This new solution would be done on a multi agency basis with the HSE, County Youth Services, Dept of Education, VEC and the Co Council working in cooperation
Also by giving youth a real voice, sends out a clear message that we actually do care and are interested in hearing about their issues and views.
Of course it also engages youth in politics – they are our future, they need to be involved now. Engagement should replace the current apathy
Considering the many challenges our youth face today, Drugs
Alcohol abuse, Teenage Suicide, Underage and unprotected sex, we need to elect leaders from within to work on these issues,” he concluded.
Let our youth have a say
Cllr John Kelly and Election Candidate has expressed serious concern over what day the election is called on.
“According to all reports coming from Dublin, polling will take place on a Thursday which will totally and utterly disenfranchise students who don’t have postal votes and live away from home,” said Kelly.
“ From my canvass right across the constituency, two things has stood out:
- The youth of today feel forgotten. In their own words there is a “distinct lack of age friendly facilities” to meet their needs in local towns and facilities.
- The respect and admiration shown to our two youth canvassers Christopher Courteney and Lisa Drury by everyone. Older people are delighted to see young people showing an interest in politics and their peers are happy that people that understand them are on the doorsteps.”
“All things considered to call this election on a Thursday is tantamount to saying sorry – we do not want to hear your opinions or ideas. I wonder are the Government afraid of the potential backlash? Regardless no one should be disenfranchised from their constitutional right,” argued Kelly.
