Introducing Street Feast 2018 and Beyond

Introducing Street Feast 2018 and Beyond

Street Feast is Ireland s nationwide day of street parties, community celebrations and neighbourhood lunches, which is taking place across the country on Sunday 10th June 2018. Established in 2010, it has grown steadily year on year with over 1,300 Street Feast events held nationwide in 2017 and over 120,000 people taking part. Our goal in 2018 is to engage and strengthen even more communities; growing again to involve a quarter of a million people.

What we do

Street Feast aims to build and strengthen communities through sharing of food and conversation, culture and knowledge. Facilitating social inclusion, multiculturalism and diversity in an age-friendly, all-inclusive environment, Street Feast creates more resilient, safer and healthier communities.

Why Street Feast?

Irish communities are not what they once were. The Future of Ireland Report conducted in 2015 by Amárach Research finds that isolation exists in Irish communities with nearly one in ten saying they have no close friends. One in ten either don t have relatives or don t feel close to the relatives they do have, 30% don t have a sense of belonging within their community and only one in four feel completely safe in their neighbourhoods. Street Feast addresses these issues by connecting neighbours, strengthening relationships, giving people a sense of identity and facilitating a space for the sharing of knowledge and culture to take place.

How does it work?

The Street Feast organisation supports individuals and community groups in hosting their own celebrations in their neighbourhoods whether held in a front garden or as a community street party by providing them with the tools, guidance and support to do so. The celebrations are held in solidarity with communities right across Ireland. It s a not-for-profit, all-for-fun, do-it-yourself celebration: promoting social inclusion, celebrating diversity and encouraging neighbours to work together.

Those interested in celebrating Street Feast register online at www.streetfeast.ie. We provide free DIY packs with decorations, invites, posters & flyers and offer on-going support to hosts preparing for their feast. The Street Feast organisation provides an online platform for the Street Feast community to organise their celebration. We look after promotion, queries, advice, free packs, manage volunteers and provide a report to sponsors on Street Feast events.

Street Feast does a few good things. It... Brings the tools for community building ; inspiring neighbourhoods celebrations and providing the support to make it happen; Promotes social inclusion, multiculturalism and diversity in an age-friendly environment; Encourages participatory culture, collaborations and mutual aid; Empowers residents to do things for themselves, fostering more decision makers;

Street Feast also... Promotes environmental awareness and educates communities on sustainable practices ; Is the conversation starter from which more community-led projects and ideas are formed; Provides an online platform for residents to organise their feast; and Provides a FREE DIY Pack, including decorations invites, flyers and a DIY guide providing the basics to kick-start a Street Feast event, removing the obstacles of organising a get-together.

All of our public events gain from the widest community participation. We must all by now realise the importance of community, inclusion, creativity and togetherness - all values that require support and a conscious effort of care, protection and solidarity. Initiatives such as Street Feast provide exactly that type of opportunity. President Michael D. Higgins Patron of Street Feast

Taking the First Step towards Community We ve discovered that hosting a Street Feast is typically the first participative activity that residents do in their neighbourhood. It s the first step towards getting to know each other. It s the first step towards building community. Instigating new business and inspiring ideas Catalysing deeper community involvement, Street Feast has the potential to generate businesses, co-operatives and social ventures, and in turn, employment and income. We ve seen community gardens, GIY (Grow It Yourself) groups, Men s Sheds, community festivals, baby-sitting clubs, car pools and other social initiatives start from Street Feast celebrations. The result is more active communities that are environmentally sustainable and socially cohesive.

Target Audience / Demographic The vast majority of hosts (80%+) are women aged between 35 and 55

It was a fantastic initiative for our community. Our attendees ranged from six months to 93 years old and it was truly inclusive, with residents of our local St Michael s House coming and enjoying it particularly the music! My daughter has made new friends and we re both thrilled. You can still feel the afterglow!

Who is involved in Street Feast?

1,350+ Street Feast Hosts Hosts include residents, community groups, sporting clubs, schools and more. With over 1,300 people volunteering their time to host celebrations in their neighbourhoods last year, we expect this number increase again in 2018. 31 Street Feast Champions The Street Feast organisation recruit and train a local Street Feast Champions for each county. This role has been designed to engage the local community and offer support with registrations, preparations and enquiries. This individual works in close collaboration with the Street Feast organisation. 120,000+ Street Feast Attendees The critical mass; the neighbours, the helpers, the munchers and music makers, their numbers growing exponentially every year. 31 County Councils Many of the county councils partner with Street Feast by covering the costs of the DIY Packs. They promote Street Feast to their residents. However, we are finding access to funding within councils increasingly difficult each year. With a very small but dedicated team, we simply do not have the capacity to apply for small grants every year and this process is quickly becoming unsustainable.

PPN Networks The Street Feast organisation links with the PPN (Public Participation Network) in each county to promote Street Feast and engage the local community. ChangeX This Dublin based social-solutions platform is a valuable supporter of Street Feast, while providing the registration software for Street Feast. FoodCloud The Irish tech company helps redistribute surplus food from supermarkets to those in need. We will link interested charities and community groups to FoodCloud to assist in supplying food for their Street Feast events. The Street Feast organisation We provide free DIY packs with bunting, balloons, invites, posters & flyers and offer on-going supporting to hosts preparing for their feast. We provide an online platform for the Street Feast community to organise their celebration and we will look after promotion, queries, advice, manage volunteers and provide a report to sponsors on Street Feast events. Other Supporting Partners: Volunteer Ireland, Scouting Ireland, Irish Mens Sheds Organisation, GIY Ireland, Happenings, Tidy Towns, Irish Country Woman s Association, Alone.

Street Feast Team

Sam Bishop Director of Street Feast Mel Drew Operations & Partnerships Dave Dunn Accounts & Finance, Company Secretary Kiri Bishop Community Manager John Lambert Web Design

Partnership Opportunities

Join us! We re looking for strategic partners. Street Feast has a radical impact on Irish communities, and we know that meaningful partnerships make all the difference. We are looking for organisations to partner with who share our values and want to strengthen and support Irish communities. This is a unique opportunity to build stronger community ties, promote your business in the process and be intimately associated with one of the most exciting campaigns taking place in Ireland this year.

Value for money Street Feast is a high impact, low cost opportunity. On average, 90 people attend one Street Feast event. With over 1,300 events nationwide last year we estimate approximately 120,000 people participated. When you think of this in terms of participation, it is an extremely cost effective way to engage the local community and encourage a healthy participatory culture.

It was an amazing way to get to know people in my community. I got such a buzz from organising it it provided the space to talk to neighbours I had never had a conversation with. The night of Street Feast I went to bed feeling more connected to my community than ever. se coming and enjoying it particularly the music! My daughter has made new friends and we re both thrilled.

Streat Feast International Having spent 9 years testing and developing Street Feast Ireland, we now believe the time is right to grow the initiative further afield. The issue of loneliness and isolation do not just affect Ireland; they are a global phenomenon. In 2018 we are kick-starting Street Feast in the US with a trial in Minnesota and in February 2019 Street Feast Australia will take place for the first time. We are seeking financial support for this development. See www.streetfeast.org for more details (coming soon)

Thank you Thank you for your time and consideration. If you have any further questions or any ideas you would like to discuss, we would love to hear from you, so please do not hesitate to contact us via the details below. Sam Bishop Director Street Feast E: Samuel@streetfeast.ie Ph: +353 86 212 1492 Patron: Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland Street Feast CLG is a Company Limited by Guarantee with no share capital. CRO #622674