PPN related documents

Getting Started:

Understanding the PPN
View Fingal PPNs Plain English guide to the PPN. This explains the Fingal PPN in clear and accurate language. Some details will vary in each county, such as the number of people on each committee, but the core structure is the same.

PPN Guidance Documents

Documents of interest

Examples of workplans

Linkage Groups

Linkage Groups (sometimes called Thematic Groups) are discussion groups that everyone can take part in. By discussing the issues that affect you in your area you can link in with the PPN Representatives who sit on different council committees. They can then take your input to the committees. The Linkage Groups are the easiest way to get involved in the PPN and to influence policy creation in your County.

Each PPN’s Linkage Groups operate slightly differently. Please contact your own PPN for details.

You can see the Fingal PPN Website for a great resource and set up for how their Linkage Groups operate. This example was shown as an example of best practice at the National PPN Conference 2019.

Working with the Public Participation Network:

Examples of policy documents from LENs and others (order from most recent to least recent):

Rights of Nature Work

Herbicide Use Policy Work

For more information on PPNs work on Herbicide Use in Council operations see the webinar recordings below.

Other Work

Workshops with PPNs

Recordings, Reports and Resources

Making an impact in local policy creation: Introduction to Strategic Policy Committees

Recorded 2024

Each County Council uses Strategic Policy Committees to review, create and inform policy decisions in their County. You can get involved and take part directly to make an impact for your community! Learn more about the potential of the Strategic Policy Committees and how they work, hear examples of community driven policy from across Ireland, find out how you can get involved and what supports exist to help you in this role.

Motion for the Ocean – with Donal Griffin

Recorded 2024

Hear about the actions that Local Authorities can take to benefit the Ocean. Whether coastal or inland, all counties affect Ocean health. A Motion for the Ocean has passed in various Councils in Britain. Let’s discuss how it could be used in Ireland’s Local Authorities. We are joined by Donal Griffin, Campaign Coordinator and Marine Policy Officer for Fair Seas, who tells about the Motion, it’s origins and what it could mean for Ireland’s Local Authorities. He also gives an overview of Fair Seas and the Marine Protected Areas Bill.

Rights of Nature – PPN Actions

Recorded 2023

There is amazing work happening in Ireland at the moment surrounding the Rights of Nature. At this meeting we will hear from some of those involved directly in taking action for the Rights of Nature through their Public Participation Networks, and learn from PPNs who have already taken steps to move this forward in their own counties.

This evening:

Introduction to Rights of Nature

  • Peter Doran – Peter is a lecturer in Law at Queens University Belfast, and a founding member of Environmental Justice Network Ireland who have been working on the Rights of Nature campaign with an all-island approach.

Global context

  • Thomas Linzey of the Centre for Democratic and Environmental Rights can join our session this evening.

PPN Actions

  • Sarah Clancy – Clare PPN Coordinator
  • Ruth Smith – Tipperary PPN Coordinator
  • Donegal: Rose Kelly and Joanne Lyndsay Butler
  • Galway County PPN Reps: Martina Finn, Jenny Fisher, Anna Murphy

Useful Resources to support your work within the PPN on Rights of Nature

Rights of Nature introduction – with Lynda Sullivan

Recorded 2023

We are joined this evening by Lynda Sullivan from Environmental Justice Network Ireland. Lynda gave us an overview of the Rights of Nature movement.

An Introduction to the Role of Biodiversity Officers

Recorded 2022

With the appointment of Biodiversity Officers in each Local Authority by the end of 2024, what can you expect for your county? Hear from Galway City’s Biodiversity Officer Paula Kearney about her role and what it covers. How do Biodiversity Officers influence council actions? Is there a way for the community to get involved in the work? When should people get in touch with their Biodiversity Officer, and why? Do Biodiversity Officers interact with the local Public Participation Network, and how?

Putting policy through the Strategic Policy Committees as a PPN Rep

Recorded 2022

This month we look at the process of how to get policy put through a Strategic Policy Committee as a PPN representative. We are joined by Cllr. Guss O’Connell who shares his experience in using the SPCs. We then briefly discuss a motion for getting a herbicide policy through the SPC.

Engaging Young People in Local Action – with Eco-Unesco

Recorded 2021

This month we looked at what is involved in getting young people engaged in local action, with a presentation and Q&A from our guest speaker Elaine Nevin, National Director of Eco-Unesco. She shared her expertise in engaging young people in local climate actions. Eco-Unesco is Ireland’s leading environmental education and youth organisation working to channel the passion, creativity and energy of young people into positive environmental action.

What is the PPN Secretariat Network?

Recorded 2021

A brief description of the PPN Secretariat Network by independent facilitator Stephen Rourke.

LCDCs – A National Perspective from Charles Stanley-Smith

Recorded 2021

Our guest speaker for this months Meet Up was Charles Stanley-Smith, who has extensive experience with LCDCs and PPNs. In this presentation he speaks about the Local Community Development Committees from a national perspective, with reference to his own experience in Tipperary.

Achieving Results as a PPN Environmental Representative

Recorded 2021

Guest Speaker Justin Byrne shares his knowledge of interacting with committees as a PPN Environmental Representative, such as SPCs, LCDCs, and Secretariats. Justin is the COO of the Irish Environmental Network. He has been involved in community representation and public participation for over 20 years. He was part of the programme to Pilot the PPN structures and was part of the team that created the toolkit for creating Wellbeing Statements.

Justin has represented the community on County Development Boards, Community Fora, PPN Secretariat’s, LCDCs, SPCs, LEADER, LAGs and other National and international Civil Society representation structures. Through all these experiences, he has learned that the way to effectively represent and amplify the community voice is through understanding how structures work and working within these frameworks to build coalitions and networks. By preparing for meetings and working with other members of committees, more can be achieved in a shorter time.

Creating a Local Sustainable Future:
The Importance of a Vision for Community Wellbeing

Recorded 2020

A county’s Vision for Community Wellbeing (VCW) acts as a guiding vision for the work of the local Public Participation Network, ensuring that the community’s vision for the future is at the heart of all decisions. This webinar focused on the why of creating a Wellbeing Statement and heard from PPNs who have been through the process about their experience. It aimed to inspire more people to take part in its creation, and showcase some practical applications for a completed VCW. Watch the videos of the session below.

Introduction to the Vision for Community Wellbeing with Harriet Emerson

Recorded 2020

Harriet Emerson has been facilitating the creation of Wellbeing Visions across Ireland. Here, she summarises what they are and why they are important.

This introduction is useful for PPNs and anyone who is engaging in the Wellbeing process for their county.

Vision for Community Wellbeing – Longford case study

Recorded 2020

Longford Public Participation Network has successfully completed their Wellbeing Vision process. They have used the finished document for many positive actions since then.

We hear from Siobhan Cronogue, PPN Resource Worker, who shares their PPN’s experience of the process, practicalities and outcomes. We also hear from Tess Murphy and Pozy Green who give their insight from the perspective of PPN Secretariat members.

Q&A with all speakers from the webinar

Recorded 2020

History of the Vision for Community Wellbeing: A Vision for Community Wellbeing vs Wellbeing as Seen from the Top

Recorded 2021

Michael Ewing, a leading figure in the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) and Environmental Pillar, presents at UCD Earth Institute coffee morning. The IEN is an umbrella network that works to support environmental NGOs through access to funding and services. The Environmental Pillar consists of 32 national independent environmental NGOs working together to represent the views and advocate on behalf of the Irish environmental sector. Michael discusses his work developing community well-being visions.

In 2014 Public Participation Networks (PPNs) began to be set up in every city and county in the country. Every community, voluntary, social inclusion, and environmental group in the country is entitled to be a member of their PPN. There are now 14,000 such organisations that are PPN members. Each PPN is required to develop a “Vision for the wellbeing of their community for this and future generations”. This is a global first and is proving to be a revelatory, unifying and empowering process for the communities concerned. Michael identifies the potential connections or conflicts with a proposed new national Wellbeing Index, which is currently being developed.

Creating a Local Sustainable Future:

An introduction to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, their connection to local environmental sustainability, and their potential to help us collaborate on diverse issues.

Online workshop series – December 2nd and 9th, 2020

The Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are a universal plan of action for people and planet to be achieved by the year 2030. These 17 goals aim to end poverty, combat climate change and ensure that we leave peaceful, just and equal societies for future generations.

These workshops were a collaboration between Limerick PPN and the Environmental Pillar. Facilitated by Catherine O’Toole of the IEN, and Davie Phillip of Cultivate, these workshops aimed to impart a deeper understanding of the SDGs and how to use them to develop local work and community projects that support sustainable development.

Workshop 1

Introduction to Sustainable Development Goals: What are they and why use them

Recorded 2020

Davie Phillip introduces the Sustainable Development Goals and the concept of sustainable development. Catherine O’Toole highlights examples of the SDGs in use in Ireland.

Davie’s slides: 2020_12_2_SDG community partnership – Catherine’s slides: 2020_12_2_SDGs and the Environment, SDGs in Action

Video of presentations with introduction from Catherine Dalton, Limerick PPN Secretariat member

Workshop 2

SDGs – A Closer Look

Recorded 2020

In this workshop we recapped the insights from last week, and too a closer look at the SDGs by exploring the targets. We also introduced a worksheet that will help groups map their work to the SDGs using the targets.

SDG targets slides: 2020_12_09_Targets presentation – Download SDG Targets worksheet here: SDG targets worksheet

Video presentation introducing the targets and use of worksheet

Group exercises

In each workshop we held group work sessions which introduced exercises to map the SDGs to your local work. The first exercise focused on mapping the SDGs to your own work. The second explored how to use the SDGs as a common language to achieve collaboration between diverse issues and groups, and to expand the conversation to leave no one behind.

A run through of these exercises can be found in the full report for the series here: Creating a Local Sustainable Future using Global Goals_Limerick SDG webinar report.