PART THREE
At the end of this week the ‘Fermoy Welcome Centre’ will open its doors for the first time. Located in the Fermoy Forum office on the first floor of the Youth Centre by the river, the centre will open on four-daysa-week for a number of hours and also on a Saturday.
This Friday we’ll open from 2-5pm. Our intension is, initially, to open from 9.30 to 1pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. From 2pm to 5pm on Thursday and Fridays and from 10am to 1pm on Saturdays.
The core purpose of the centre will be to source and share national and local information and offer support and a welcome to people who have recently moved to Fermoy and the greater Blackwater region – especially Ukrainian people who have arrived. And to families who are providing accommodation for those moving to the area.
It will be supported in its work by the Blackwater Ukrainian Solidarity Group Uplift account which anyone can join – https://my.uplift. ie/groups/ blackwater- ukraine- solidarity-group-cork
We are also looking at developing an outreach schedule where we can visit surrounding towns and villages to share information and answer queries.
The centre will be a place of welcome to all where people can grab a coffee, chat and relax.
In addition, we want to help people where we can – perhaps to open a bank or credit union account, to speak to a prospective employer on their behalf, fill in a medical form, help with translation or to speak to a local club about membership.
And when, and where, we don’t have the answer to a query, our volunteers will work to locate it.
At all times we will have someone who understands Irish systems working in the centre as well as a Ukrainian speaker who will be able to help those arriving there. Also, we will have a dedicated telephone number for people to call if they have queries. This number will be answered by a Ukrainian and English-speaking volunteer at all times. We can share that here next week.
We’re delighted to have a strong core organising team as we launch our welcome centre. Carmel Lonergan will work alongside Olena Ferents and Daryna Hruzdieva to ensure all shifts are covered by volunteers and we will help all those manning the desks at the centre to provide information to all.
We’re very grateful to the wonderful Jacinta McCormack, a community healthcare worker in Fermoy, who will be our health lead and make sure we have updated relevant information from the HSE and to Mark Lyndon, a local Home School Community Liaison coordinator, who will be our education lead and will let us know of the many excellent educational opportunities available in the area, including English classes, for newcomers.
As the centre’s volunteer work evolves and we better understand the needs of those arriving in our area, from Ukraine and elsewhere, we believe we can establish a welcoming centre where practical supports are available. It will be crucial that we have a team of volunteers ready to step in to help, so if you would like to put your name forward, please drop us an e-mail to BlackwaterUkraine2022@gmail.com
EMPLOYERS
Many of our Ukrainian friends who have moved to the Blackwater area in recent weeks are eager to work and were accomplished professionals in their own country before the Russian invasion which drove them from their homes. If you are an employer and have vacant positions please contact us by e-mail and we can advertise these positions in English and Ukrainian at our welcome centre.
Also, we hope to put together a database of skills and expertise so that if a specific employer is seeking someone with a relevant qualification there may be scope to match the job with the jobseeker. And our bilingual volunteers would be more than happy to help with an initial conversation.
CLUBS
We are asking any clubs or societies in the Blackwater area, and Mitchelstown, which wish to extend a hand of welcome to people arriving from Ukraine, to contact us and tell us of any initiatives or events you are planning to welcome people. Just drop us an e-mail and we will share on our noticeboard and on our uplift account.
THE SANCTUARY RUNNERS
Last Saturday we had a team of 40 Sanctuary Runners at St. Colmans’ Pitch including a number of Ukrainian families. Many people walk the pitch three-times, others jog and some run. And afterwards we walk to Spar on the Cork Road to share a coffee and a chat. It sounds so simple…. and it is. We are very grateful to Maeve O’Callaghan for organising and next week will share a dedicated e-mail address and Facebook account for the Fermoy group. We would love to see you there this Saturday morning again at 10am.
These articles will be translated into Ukrainian every week and available at the Welcome Centre and on the Blackwater Ukrainian Solidarity Group’s uplift account.