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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 13 August 2021
Community Group
A Transylvanian girl adopted by New York city (via Kilkenny) BY BIANCA RALLIS
PART 1 THE process of my “adoption “started in September 2019 with an application for a USA immigrant visa. In general, this takes between 8 and 10 months, but the Covid 19 extended the process to 18 months. Me, my husband, and his family have been through a lot of challenges; moments of frustration, stress, hope; a mixture of everything! While waiting I spent a wonderful time living among friends in the Marble City the medieval capital of Ireland, Kilkenny. The Twilight Community group, a registered charity, should be the first stop for all, regardless of your background, nationality gender or believes. The Twi-
light International Cultural house is an open and inclusive venue where a friendly welcome will be waiting for your at the door of 15A International Cultural House, Hebron Business Centre , Kilkenny City. Finally on the 26 of July 2021 the big day arrived: together with our Irish cat adopted in October 2020, and so much baggage that I’ve never travelled with before, we flew to NYC. In that day the Dublin airport was busiest since the pandemic started, but we were lucky and faced no more problems. The Irish airport authorities were very operative! After 6 hours and 30 minutes of flying, we landed at JFK NYC airport. From there, my American adventure started. Finally, after three years I had the chance to really meet my Greek American family! Strong emotions, tears of joy and warm hugs. Happy to be there all together under the same sky. From the very first moment I was fasci-
nated by my encounter with NYC. It was so much more than I could have imagined. A strong feeling of freedom in a huge city with a population twice that of Ireland; multicultural New Yorkers belong to more than 800 different nationalities. Here you are no more Romanian, Irish, Polish, Russian, Indian, Chinese, African etc. In New York you become a New Yorker, and that gives you a feeling of belonging, not that of an outsider. I was finally here, in the city that never sleeps and as Frank Sinatra told us ‘It’s so good the name it twice, New York, New York! Join me in next week’s Kilkenny Observer as tell you of visiting my Husband’s neighbourhood, seeing the Heart of New York, Manhattan, and the beautiful French Quarter. This article is supported by the Romanian Twilight Community Group Contact: kclw.ro@twighlight.ie
Community Group
‘A stitch in time’ for county community South Sudanese Community in Ireland (SSCAI) launches Universal Tailoring/Sewing Project. The long awaited sewing project intended for 2020 finally kicked off in Bishop Birch Community Centre, Hebron Road, Kilkenny on 20th July 2021. The idea of the project has been developed by Samuel Morgan; the Secretary General & Contact Person for SSCAI; who is also employed by St Canice’s Community Action as an Immigrant Support & Development officer and recently nominated to represent immigrants in Kilkenny at PPN level. The purpose of the project is to deliver universal sewing skills and train participants in using different models of sewing machines and to equip them with knowledge and skills and eventually roll the project into a social enterprise. This project is sponsored by Kilkenny Leader Partnership and Community Education Service I Kilkenny & Carlow and is open to everyone living in Co. Kilkenny who has passion for gaining skills of sewing / tailoring; regardless of gender, nationality, culture or religious affiliations; though it is operating under South Sudanese
Community Association in Ireland (SSCAI). Currently there are 10 participants on the pilot sewing course who are of mixed nationalities. They have advanced to the 6th session of the intended 10 lessons and 12 people are already on the waiting list who would be recruited when the first lot advances to second level or so. Profile of SSCAI In 2008, the government of Ireland admitted a total of 73 Sudanese into the country under the decision of the Irish Government as Programme Refugees. The refugees were brought in two groups. The first group comprising 35 people (Acholi tribe) ar-
rived on 24th April 2008 and the second group comprising (Wa’di / Avokaya, Bari, Kuku and Ma’di (all together 37 people) arrived on 3rd July 2008 respectively. On 18th Sept 08, Samuel Morgan the current Secretary General/Contact Person initiated the idea of forming the community group and invited his fellow country diapora to a meeting held on Sunday, 9th November 2008 and formed the community association formerly known as Association of Sudanese Community in Kilkenny. As time went by, South Sudan seceded from the North and the few South Sudanese who came to Ireland on their own before the arrival of those brought as
Programme Refugees joined the association; hence leading to changing of the name of the association to South Sudanese Community Association in Ireland (SSCAI) to include the few members living who are living in other parts of the country; but the majority are settled here in Kilkenny; hence, SSCAI remains the legitimate community association based in Kilkenny. The group have a very strong and vibrant youth profile. Lead by Samuel’s sons and daughters, they have a great community spirit as their youth soccer team have won the Twilight International integration Soccer tournament in 2018/ 19 and who is not to say they would have done
the triple but for the outbreak of Covid 19. With their youthful dance group, we hope to see all their experience and grace come together the new opportunity of the Twilight Inclusion group launched earlier this month offering opportunities to all for participation in the Erasmus+ programmes planned for the TYI Samuel Morgan is also the leader of the Twilight South Sudanese Community Group and was one of the first community groups in Kilkenny that took up the Twilight International Cultural House’s offer community desk prior the covid 19 pandemic. The community desk department is now available to other groups and individu-
als who may wish to avail of this wonderful work desk space and the support network of the Twilight community group’s professional personal. Kilkenny’s first International cultural House is a Twilight initiative. It provides a safe space for all communities to have the opportunity to show their History , Heritage ,Arts and language to others by accessing the Groups new Media and Training centre. The group are now taking names for their upcoming Media Training Course covering Social Media Security, Journalistic writings and Video , Broadcast production and delivery. Applications are now open by contacting 0567813105 or info @ twilight.ie
