New Dundalk residents urged to attend info event

THE Immigrant Council of Ireland is calling on all Dundalk community, sports and cultural groups to get involved in a ‘one-stop-shop’ event, aimed at increasing the civic and political participation of migrants, taking place Wednesday October 5, from 4.30pm to 7.30pm, in the Crowne Plaza Hotel. THIS is one of a series of events being run by the Immigrant Council and Nasc taking place nationwide over the coming six months. JOE O’Brien, Integration Outreach Officer with the Immigrant Council, said: ‘ The one-stopshop will be a showcase of the various community, cultural and sports groups in the Dun- dalk area that people can get involved in. We are offering each of the various groups a table at this event, especially if they are interested in attracting new members or volunteers from migrant communities in the locality. We would ask interested local groups to please get in touch with us over the next week, leading up to the event’. AS well as showcasing what local groups have to offer, the event aims to increase political participation among migrants. Mr. O’Brien said: ‘We will also be facilitating voter registration, which is a key issue in terms of political participation of migrants. The percentage of migrants registered to vote in the whole Louth area is well below what it should be – excluding UK-born migrants, migrants make up about 10 per cent of the population in Louth, but only 5 per cent of those are registered to vote.” THE event also comes at a time when concerns about Brexit are mounting, particularly for people who live and work in the border region and who may not have Irish citizenship. Mr. O’Brien stated, ‘We will be providing expert advice on applying for Irish citizenship.’ THE Louth Volunteer Centre, Creative Spark, and the Dundalk Polish School, are among the local groups already confirmed to be taking part.