Page 23 - Guerin Media Ltd | Active Retirement Ireland Members Annual 2016
P. 23
NEWS ACTIVE RETIREMENT IRELAND
Making the Most of your ARA
-with Regional Development officers Kelly Dundavan and Anne O’Brien
“I think that what we are doing in Ireland is probably the best in the world”
Active Retirement Ireland is a support network for older people in Ireland, with a membership of
24,500 and continuing to grow. There’s so much going on in Active Retirement that there’s no reason
for anybody anywhere in Ireland to be lonely.
Active Retirement Ireland is a charity and a voluntary to do is attend their local Active Retirement
organisation, run by and for its members with the meeting. It’s something bigger now than it was when I
support of a dedicated central team based in Dublin. started out ten years ago. I’ve seen huge change. Now there
There are 560 local groups which we refer to as Active are eighty groups in the South East region alone. Behind
Retirement Associations (ARA). For a small fee you can the scenes there is a vast structure of support and initiative
become a member. Of this membership fee, €10 goes to throughout the country. With 24,500 members
the national organisation. In every ARA there is nationally and growing, we’ve got to be doing
somebody allocated to welcoming in new people and something right!” - Kelly Dundavan
introducing them to everybody else, so they are not just
left sitting on their own. While ARI is a non-party political organisation we have
An ARA will have its own Committee, and will often to be vocal and ensure the needs of older are used to
also have sub-committees and a PRO to promote the inform the decisions that our politicians and policy
events of ARA locally and encourage new members to makers take. Members can voice their concerns and get
join. There is support for each ARA through a volunteer others motivated to make a difference in their local ar-
Regional Development Officer. eas for the good of the whole community. Coming up to
MAKING A DIFFERENCE election time we can invite our local TDs to our meet-
“There’s so much going on in Active Retirement that there’s ings and voice our concerns. When someone comes in to
no reason for anybody anywhere in Ireland to be lonely”. talk with a group it can really get things moving. Many
When I first came to Ireland ten years ago I didn’t know of us are also involved in Tidy Towns and
anybody. I went along to a local Active Retirement improving local security – we are an important presence
meeting and I haven’t looked back since. I became a PRO in our local communities
then a Chair and between all of this work became an
Outreach Officer and then they needed a Development “We do have a voice, a huge voice and so
Officer so here I am! we do get involved.”
Today I’ve more friends here than I have in the U.K.
Transport can be a problem for a lot of people especially ACTIVE RETIREMENT IRELAND CAN BE A FIRST STEP
in rural areas. If you haven’t got transport there’s always “By being involved in a group you live a lot longer. You
somebody local who can offer a lift - all that a person has won’t get depressed”
We all value feeling connected and involved, being a
member of an ARA lets you choose to be involved at the
www.activeirl.ie Active Retirement Ireland 23
Making the Most of your ARA
-with Regional Development officers Kelly Dundavan and Anne O’Brien
“I think that what we are doing in Ireland is probably the best in the world”
Active Retirement Ireland is a support network for older people in Ireland, with a membership of
24,500 and continuing to grow. There’s so much going on in Active Retirement that there’s no reason
for anybody anywhere in Ireland to be lonely.
Active Retirement Ireland is a charity and a voluntary to do is attend their local Active Retirement
organisation, run by and for its members with the meeting. It’s something bigger now than it was when I
support of a dedicated central team based in Dublin. started out ten years ago. I’ve seen huge change. Now there
There are 560 local groups which we refer to as Active are eighty groups in the South East region alone. Behind
Retirement Associations (ARA). For a small fee you can the scenes there is a vast structure of support and initiative
become a member. Of this membership fee, €10 goes to throughout the country. With 24,500 members
the national organisation. In every ARA there is nationally and growing, we’ve got to be doing
somebody allocated to welcoming in new people and something right!” - Kelly Dundavan
introducing them to everybody else, so they are not just
left sitting on their own. While ARI is a non-party political organisation we have
An ARA will have its own Committee, and will often to be vocal and ensure the needs of older are used to
also have sub-committees and a PRO to promote the inform the decisions that our politicians and policy
events of ARA locally and encourage new members to makers take. Members can voice their concerns and get
join. There is support for each ARA through a volunteer others motivated to make a difference in their local ar-
Regional Development Officer. eas for the good of the whole community. Coming up to
MAKING A DIFFERENCE election time we can invite our local TDs to our meet-
“There’s so much going on in Active Retirement that there’s ings and voice our concerns. When someone comes in to
no reason for anybody anywhere in Ireland to be lonely”. talk with a group it can really get things moving. Many
When I first came to Ireland ten years ago I didn’t know of us are also involved in Tidy Towns and
anybody. I went along to a local Active Retirement improving local security – we are an important presence
meeting and I haven’t looked back since. I became a PRO in our local communities
then a Chair and between all of this work became an
Outreach Officer and then they needed a Development “We do have a voice, a huge voice and so
Officer so here I am! we do get involved.”
Today I’ve more friends here than I have in the U.K.
Transport can be a problem for a lot of people especially ACTIVE RETIREMENT IRELAND CAN BE A FIRST STEP
in rural areas. If you haven’t got transport there’s always “By being involved in a group you live a lot longer. You
somebody local who can offer a lift - all that a person has won’t get depressed”
We all value feeling connected and involved, being a
member of an ARA lets you choose to be involved at the
www.activeirl.ie Active Retirement Ireland 23
