Festive celebrations to mark new CISE project in Kilkenny

Knockdrinna was the venue for a festive celebration as a group came together to mark the achievements of a new community project.

The story began in 2019, when a visionary group of individuals, including several family and self-advocates, social care experts and business professionals came together to establish the Community Initiatives for Social Ecology (CISE).

Currently, CISE is actively working on establishing the Food Enterprise project in Kilkenny, a social enterprise partnership with Knockdrinna Enterprise in Stoneyford. This ambitious venture aims to create four supported employment opportunities through the development of a social enterprise initiative.

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The organisation’s inception was driven by the collective recognition of a substantial gap in existing employability pathways for self-advocates aspiring to gain employment but requiring additional supports beyond what mainstream systems currently offer.

Initial funding for this partnership is secured through the Kilkenny Leader Partnership, focusing on local organic dairy processes. The partnership includes self-advocates from l’Arche, Camphill and Kingsriver.

Another achievement for CISE in partnership with Kingsriver was the Kilkenny Leader-funded project Work Together Now initiative. This project facilitated the journey of 20 participants towards employment.

In the past year CISE has demonstrated its commitment to empowering adults by providing support through a job placements programme and a Start your Own Business support structure and have been chosen as a partner project with the Pobal Workability fund which is promoting Inclusive Pathways to employment.