The impact of Community and Voluntary groups in our society is enormous.
They make an incalculable contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of local communities, usually relying on unpaid volunteers and local fund-raising.

Community groups interact with state and public authorities frequently.
However, it is only in recent years that community & voluntary groups have come to be seen as a sector in their own right. The Community Sector is now joining other groupings such as business, farming and trade unions as social partners in the partnership approach to governance in Ireland.

The Office of Community and Enterprise of Cork County Council engaged in an extensive public consultation process to ensure that the Cork Community and Voluntary sector was adequately represented on the Cork County Development Board and inputted to the strategy. Following this consultation process a County Community and Voluntary Forum was established in February of 2000.

The Membership of the Forum has developed since and is now comprised of over 750 registered Member organisations from Corks Community and Voluntary sector. There are twenty members democratically elected on to an Umbrella Forum which meets monthly and operates at county level. The members are nominated from Corks ten electoral district areas namely Kanturk, Mallow, Fermoy, Macroom, Blarney, Midleton, Carrigaline, Bandon, Skibbereen and Bantry.

The Forum has three representatives on the County Development Board. The primary function of the Forum is to facilitate feedback to the Board from the representatives of the community and voluntary groups throughout the county. The Forum also functions as an information network to enable the community and voluntary sector to articulate common concerns and agree County-wide responses to their particular needs.
As well as nominating 3 representatives to the County Development Board, the County Forum has been utilised as a nominating body on behalf of community and voluntary groups to various other organisations and committees including the following;

· County Childcare Committee,
· Social Inclusion Measures Working Group (RAPID),
· Cork Transport Forum,
· County Sports Partnership,
· Regional Drugs Task Force,
· County Heritage Forum,
· Boards of LEADER Companies,
· Strategic Policy Committees of Cork County Council.

The Forum functions using a set of Operating Guidelines which set out the Mission, Aims, Key Principles and Arrangements for Meetings of the Forum.

Since 2002 the Forum has begun producing a quarterly newsletter entitled Community News which is incorporated as part of the County Development Board About Us Newsletter.

The Forum has undertaken work on three Pilot Projects based on issues of common concern to community and voluntary groups in Cork, namely 'Promotion of Volunteerism'; 'Access to Information' and 'Insurance for Community Groups.'

For details of the Forums recent Reports & Publications please click here.

The Forum wishes to develop as fully as possible a complete register of existing Community and Voluntary Organisations in Cork County. If your group is not already registered and you wish to register your organisation, please complete the online membership Application Form and return to the Office of Community and Enterprise.

If you require any further information on the Cork County Community and Voluntary Forum do please Contact the Office of Community and Enterprise or your local Forum Representative.