Cork Sexual Violence Centre launches new community hub

CORK’S Sexual Violence Centre has just launched a community hub designed to help people connect socially.

It’s a new departure for the centre and was motivated by two main factors, explains therapist Dola Twomey.

Firstly, its location in a beautiful building at Camden Place lends itself to the hosting of events.

“But it was more than that. Since Covid, it seems in our experience as if we have all forgotten how to meet people or different groups and communities. And that’s a huge loss to everyone and it’s something that’s been on our minds for a while,” said Dola. The team decided to merge those two strands and held a ‘soft’ launch of the hub on St Brigid’s Day. They also hosted a group who did the Feminist Walk of Cork last Friday.

The fascinating walk celebrates the contribution of women to art, culture, society and the city, and was facilitated by Prof Maggie O’Neill.

It began at the Honan Chapel, recognising women artists’ contributions to Irish arts and crafts, and then moved on to Nano Nagle Centre/Cork Migrant Centre, to honour Nano Nagle and Naomi Masheti. Mary Elmes was also recognised.

Then it moved on to the Traveller Visibility Group to honour Katie O’Donghue and the women who set up TVG.

Next stop was the Firkin Crane Centre, to reflect on Denise Joan Moriarty’s contribution to Irish dance. Mother Jones Plaque was next, and then down to the Sexual Violence Centre, Cork, to honour the work of Mary Crilly.

The Sexual Violence Centre has hosted intimate performance or gigs previously, but the plan is to hold them regularly from now on in the hub. Things in the realm of music, poetry and film have all been discussed.

“But we’re open to anything that will interest people in what will be a new offering in the city,” said Dola, who added that the idea isn’t just to bring people together for the sake of it.

We would like to see the space be a place where we will have something happening on a regular basis, at least once a month, that would catch people’s attention and that would be of value in itself, but also a place where people can just meet others like we used to pre-Covid.

Loneliness is a problem in society without a doubt, and we’re not really equipped to deal with that, she said.

“But we’re looking at people who are disconnected from each other, and for there to be another door where people can come through and where they are welcome and where there’s something interesting going on. It’s not just about the individual level but also a community level. We’ve a lot of new communities in Cork and they can be very separated from the rest of us or from each other. This might help get people moving.”

Dola pointed out that at things like conferences, often the most valuable part is the coffee break!

“So the hub is based on that thinking. It’s built around something, but just that informal being with other people withered away during Covid and we haven’t got it back and it’s invaluable.”

The Department of Justice has backed the hub, which is open to all genders, which says everything, she added. “The idea is to reach out and allow people to come in, not just to us, but to each other.”

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