Community Games launched its 2022 to 2024 Strategic Plan in the grounds of Visual Carlow on Sunday 13th March.  A fitting location considering Visual Carlow and St Patrick’s College Carlow will play host to Aldi Community Games Arts and Cultural Weekend from 26th to 28th August 2022 where over 1,500 children will be painting, drawing, singing, dancing and much more as they represent their counties.

Gerry McGuinness, President of Aldi Community Games commented:
“It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the Board and our Strategic Planning Group, to present our 2022 to 2024 Strategic Plan. Organisations such as our own, which provide sporting and cultural opportunities to children in Ireland, have become even more important to society post COVID-19 and the necessity to have a clear, realistic, and executable strategic plan to continue to do what we do has never been more important.
 
This robust strategic plan, will ensure the sustainability and growth of our organisation and is the culmination of an extensive and far-reaching process of consultation and engagement throughout 2021.
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Guided by Senan Turnball, an independent consultant, this process included several surveys, online workshops and face to face focus groups (when feasible).  We sought input from all members of our organisation and I was delighted to see such a high level of commitment and indeed lively debate!

In addition, we consulted with key stakeholders including our main sponsors and Sport Ireland.  All of this very valuable feedback was carefully collated and helped form this Strategic Plan.

The five pillars, which form the mainstay of our plan, will place a particular emphasis on volunteer support and training and development and I, along with my fellow Committee Members, believe that supporting our volunteers at every level will help Community Games continue to thrive and be an essential part of Irish society by being a source of fun, sport and culture for every child in Ireland for years to come.”

David Hoysted, Chief Executive added:
“I am delighted with the release of Community Games Strategic Plan 2022-2024, which provides a roadmap for the short to medium term future of Community Games. I look forward to working with the Board, Staff and Volunteers to implement this plan across all its pillars within Community Games. 
 
I am thankful to the Strategic Planning Group for their unfailing commitment to engage with all our members to ensure that we asked the right questions and that every voice was heard, resulting in an ambitious yet feasible living document that addresses the needs of our organisation.  The implementation of this plan will ensure that Community Games not only stays relevant but continues to grow and develop, while as allows, staying true to our mission.”  

On the 11th of March 2022 Aldi Community Games launched their Women in Sport toolkit for young girls in sport at John O’Sullivan Athletics Track, Ennis, Co. Clare.
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This unique toolkit was developed with teenage girls and their coaches in mind after a series of very successful #ownit workshops run by Community Games in conjunction with Move2b. The kits are proudly sponsored by Aldi Ireland.

Community Games announced today that each coach or parent who attended the series will receive a starter toolkit with the necessary items for teenage girls, such as sanitary pads, tampons, hygiene products and informational leaflets.  These kits will be used to support coaches of teams, individual sports in encouraging young girls to continue to join in sporting activities during a menstrual cycle. It is a simple yet effective way to help retain girls in sport and remove the stigma of the menstrual cycle in sport.

Orna and Niamh Murray - founders of Move2b said:
"We loved the opportunity to partner with Aldi Community Games in their innovative series of #ownit workshops. Our goal at Move2B is for teenage girls (and their coaches) to have enough resources and evidence-based information to help them work with their bodies and discover their athletic and personal potential."
 
We’re grateful that the coaches who attended the #ownit series of workshops will receive this kit sponsored by Aldi with menstrual cycle products such as pads and tampons so that girls can get active and stay active, any time of the month."
 
Fiona Shannon, Recruitment Training and Development Director, Aldi Community Games commented:
“We are pleased that Aldi recognises the need for supporting Women in Sport. I would like to thank Aldi for sponsoring the toolkits and thank the Orna and Niamh Murray the founders of Move2B for their creative ideas and workshops. Their advice and knowledge is invaluable and I hope that our coaches around the country can benefit from this initiative. As an organisation, we are striving to ensure that women are visible and heard at all stages within our structure.  Our aim is to distil to every member the availability and content of existing research and tools as well as deliver training in the sector."

Lianda d’Auria - Community Games volunteer said:
“As a parent of a daughter who is very interested in sport, Aldi Community Games has made me realise the great benefits that the games offer young girls for their sporting, educational and own personal well-being. Aldi Community Games has a large variety of exciting events and competitions that cater for all girls from 6 years old to 16 and I feel that their new promotional initiative for teenage girls will be of great benefit to all those that take part this year.”