Gerry Callaghan – Page 2 – New Horizon Athlone

Student Support Scheme

Student Support Scheme for people in the International Protection System (asylum seekers) 2021 The Government has announced the Students Support Scheme for International Protection Applicants. …

Gerry Callaghan 2021-09-03

More About the Teen Adventure

From July 26 to July 29th 18 young people from the Athlone Accommodation unit went on a fantastic adventure. They spent four days at the…

Gerry Callaghan 2021-08-02

Equality and Social Inclusion Award

Each year Westmeath county council give their Cathoirleach awards to honour people or groups who have given special service in their community in County Westmeath.…

Gerry Callaghan 2021-06-28

The Forest Experience

We have started a really lovely project. Each Saturday we take children from the Athlone DP site to Portlick woods. There they can jump and…

Gerry Callaghan 2021-06-13

Access to Bank Accounts

Banks have broadened the range of identification documents that may be used to open a bank account. BPFI (which represents the five major retail banks…

Gerry Callaghan 2021-05-13

Eid Mubarak

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Eid. .مع كل الحب، البركات، والسلام في هذا اليوم المجيد. عيد فطر سعيد

Gerry Callaghan 2021-05-11

Guide to access to higher education for people in the protection process

Irish Refugee council is offering training on access to higher education. When: May 6, 2021 10:00am-midday Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUud-yprjktG92fvRaxeRDLGLLMkHLOGL39 Topics: SUSI, CAO, University and IT scholarships, other…

Gerry Callaghan 2021-04-27

FAQ’s

We are a front line refugee support group mainly working on the Lissywollen Direct Provision site in Athlone. Our focus is on providing information and help to the 300 (on average) residents living there.

We also work on the Temple Direct Provision site in Horseleap, Moate.

Everyone in the DP sites in Athlone and Temple is what is described as a ‘Convention’ refugee. People who have arrived in Ireland under a United Nations resettlement program are known as ‘Programme’ refugees.

Convention refugees are people who have made their own way to Ireland and have applied for recognition of refugee status when they arrive.

Various official and unofficial routes and methods are used to travel to Ireland. These change continually, depending on weather conditions and enforcement levels at crossings.

On arrival people are normally housed for a few weeks in Baleskin, near Dublin airport. They are then dispersed to various direct provision centres around the country.

People can get protection if they meet the conditions set out in The United Nations Convention on Protection of Refugees.

See Definition of a Refugee

Author: Gerry Callaghan