Community

New Community Worker - Naas Municipal District

Lisa Ennis has joined the Community & Cultural Section as the Community Worker for Naas Municipal District.

Lisa will provide community support by working with residents, community groups and other stakeholders to identify local needs and develop appropriate responses. 

Lisa says, ‘I’m from Rathangan and volunteered with the youth club there for fifteen years. That’s where my passion for community work started. I wanted to learn the language of community development and understand how it worked, so I went to Maynooth University to study it.

I worked with Kildare Youth Services (now called in sync) in Prosperous and Clane. I engaged with primary and secondary school students, supporting them in active citizenship, among other things.

I moved on to Newbridge Family Resource Centre where I worked in community development and family support. It was a very broad role and one that I really enjoyed. When lockdown hit, we had to find new ways to engage with the families we served.

I completed digital skills training with Kildare Local Enterprise Office and coordinated some online projects that I’m really proud of, like a virtual art exhibition for International Women’s Day and a period poverty piece. The participants in those projects never met in person but their campaigns were still a big success.

I applied for the role of Community Worker with Kildare County Council because I think it’s important to work within the political system and engage with it at every level. That’s a path to influence that everyone should have access to.

My first task in Naas Municipal District is to scope out community needs. That’s a listening process and I’d love to hear from anyone who would like to link in. Whatever comes next will be 100% community driven. Helping people to unlock their own power and potential gives me great energy and joy’.

Lisa can be contacted at lmennis@kildarecoco.ie.