Grow Remote through its' chapters is having a significant impact on policy in Ireland at Government level.
The research paper on Remote Work in Ireland is a deliverable of Future Jobs Ireland 2019, which places a focus on fostering participation in the labour force through flexible working solutions.
Future Jobs Ireland focuses on five pillars, namely:
1. Embracing Innovation and Technological Change
2. Improving SME Productivity
3. Enhancing Skills and Developing
and Attracting Talent
4. Increasing Participation in the Labour Force
5. Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy
In relation to rural development, the report suggests that one of the the key potential impacts of facilitating remote work in rural areas is maintaining and developing communities.
People can stay within their localities whilst pursuing their careers instead of moving or spend their workday in their community instead of commuting elsewhere.
There is a link to the report below, it would be good to hear your thoughts. Perhaps we can have a discussion at the next meet-up which will possibly be in early February.
This day last year 20/10/18 we help our first meeting at the IHub in Castlebar and have gone on to become the largest of the 100+ chapters now set up across Ireland, and now Europe, US and beyond and to date we have 142 members of the chapter and have held 9 meet-ups.
Thanks to Declan and the crew at Bridge St for offering us the space to grow and develop our chapter. Thanks also to our speakers who have volunteered to give really engaging presentations at our meet-ups. Our chapter has already attracted the attention of mainstream and local media with coverage in our local papers, Midwest Radio and RTE who filmed here during the summer - for airing shortly.
Following discussions at our September meetup, we are exploring with GMIT the development of third-level courses to support remote work.
We have had 20+ in attendance at our earlier meet-ups but for the last few meet-ups the numbers attending have dropped to single figures even thought we have 142 members. We opted for an early evening meeting for October but again just a handful had come along. We also set up a group on the slack platform but there hasn't been too much engagement.
Chapters are run by volunteers and to date we don't have any budget.
142 members of any community is a brilliant resource so it would be great to hear from you and also hear your suggestions as what next steps to take and how you can help to drive the effort forward for 2020.
If you haven't introduced yourself already, please drop a line in the comments and tell us a bit about your experience of remote work and how you think the group might be useful in 2020.
Or. if you would like to get in touch with me by email., phone or 1:1 meeting, you'll get me at [email protected] | (094)9067080 | (087)2254698 (WhatsApp)
Also please check out the jobs board on the Grow Remote website which also offers the option to post remote vacancies.
Bernard (Chapter Leader)
Thanks Wiebke for suggestions. I suppose it's all a little trial and error at the moment. (I've added a new link to slack above). We are also watching how Grow Remote is evolving nationally - more of a focus on remote employees/employers than freelancers but also on the rural community development aspects - such as opening up remote employment opportunities to local towns and villages. I think the LinkedIn group was a way of us keeping in touch, networking outside of remotework. There are a few things going on in the background also, we met with GMIT about the possibility of running training for remote work and Grow remote is growing nationally and even internationally and was a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awardee in 2019 which hopefully will open up other opportunities to expand. With Christmas coming, and January usually pretty quiet, perhaps we could look at meeting up in February? let me know what you think, and if anyone would like to help out, give me a shout, maybe we can come up with something that might attract more people to come (apart from free beer!!)
Hm, that link is no longer active...
Great, I was going to ask about Slack, too. I also remember that at one of the early meetings a LinkedIn group was suggested (and indeed it was set up, but not used) - has the Slack group replaced that idea? Another thought that had been discussed early on was a local directory of services, skills and talents each of us offer; is that still something the chapter is thinking about? I hadn't realized that attendance dropped quite so low, I've been very much of the grid lately, but will make an effort to attend the next meeting. If there is anything that I can do, feel free to approach me, Bernard.
The Grow Remote national meetup is back this November 1st & 2nd ๐
Friday ๐ Lightning talks from remote workers and community leaders from across Ireland.
Saturday ๐ Hands-on workshops around accessing remote work, digital spaces, & more.
Book ๐
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grow-remote-national-meetup-tickets-67600295303
So What is Grow Remote all about?
Grow Remote connects remote workers, companies, and local communities so that people can choose to work where they want to live, and not the other way around.. Remote work has the potential to create greater job opportunities across Ireland, and help reverse the decline of rural communities. The biggest challenge for those who want to work remotely is isolation, and not knowing where to find the work. By building and promoting a community for remote workers, Grow Remote addresses these issues and encourages the creation and sustainability of vibrant rural communities.
