The Kerry Youth Dance Theatre recently hosted a dance event on Culture Night 2018, with the support of funding from the Communities Integration Fund 2018. The event brought together people of both migrant and Irish background for an evening of dance, open to all levels. 

The event was called Céilí Afro Dabke (A World Music Céilí Dance) and included an excerpt from Catherine Young's dance work - "It Takes a Village".  Catherine Young initiated The Welcoming Project in 2016 as a way to foster cultural integration and social inclusion of Ireland's new communities. Through a common bond of the arts, a space is offered where people can come together and share their culture, music, songs and dances.  

The Communities Integration Fund was established to support actions by organisations to promote integration in their local communities.            A total of €500,000 has been made available in 2018, with a maximum of €5,000 being awarded in each grant. A full list of the projects that have been selected in 2018 can be found here.The Communities Integration Fund was established by the Office for Promotion of Migrant Integration (OPMI) in response to Action 51 of The Migrant Integration Strategy – A Blueprint for the Future, which states:

“A Communities Integration Fund will be developed to support actions by local communities throughout Ireland to promote the integration of migrants and refugees”