Heres a scenario...

SimpleSam06

Its dark, wet and windy, a bitter night. Dull eyed, shambling creatures shuffle from shadow to shadow, seeking whatever sustenance they can find, while honest god fearing folks cower in their beds until the sunlight drives the wanderers back to their lairs. The night air reverbrates with their jackal howls and chittering, and upon occasion, battles between roaming tribes erupt into bloody violence.

Florid prose and an interesting setting? Maybe. But its a fairly accurate description of a night on the streets of any city or town in Ireland.

The fact is, there just ain't too much to do in this country after the sun sets except go to the pub or the nightclub, with all of its attendant effects. Its a real social issue here in this country.

So what I was thinking was, how to start private clubs or societies that promote role playing or tabletop gaming generally, with government assistance, under local or national youth initiative programmes? The underlying theme is fairly simple, its an alternative to the pervasive drink culture in the country. I'm fairly sure there must be a significant amount of funding available to deal with these social ills. All it needs is a place to go!

I'm talking about using either government or private funding, from a foundation or something like that, to pay for reasonable digs for a "gaming society" or club. Even theatrical arts or literary appreciation might be a good title for it. A good room or two, a kitchen facility, in someplace unusued in the evenings, would be all that would be required. If one was to play ones cards right, you could conceivably get your hands on more permanent facilities. A proper, full clubhouse.

It would probably have to be more than just role playing, wargaming, LAN fests, LARPs, even magic the gathering could all benefit from a place to meet and more prominent mainstream recognition of these hobbies. In particular in the light of an alternative to getting wasted.

Has anyone got any ideas along these lines? I have gathered a few links of potential funding sources (I have applied for and received several grants in a business context before), for your edification...

http://www.seupb.org/prog_all.htm
http://www.irlfunds.org/
http://www.aib.ie/servlet/Satellite?cid=1165916888815&pagename=CSRPortal/csr_main&c=CSRParent_P
http://europa.eu/youth/index.cfm?l_id=en
http://www.activelink.ie/
http://www.iywc.com/aboutus.htm
County council grants, development programmes, social initiatives?

This idea just came to me this morning, so its all a bit muddled up. Any input would be welcome, however.

Edit:
They might be convinced to supply a library of gaming resources as well, a server to host free RPG systems from the web and other free resources, with wi-fi, stationery, and maybe even the coffee! Its gotta be cheaper than the €2.5 billion in alcohol related problems in 2004 alone...

Justice

i applaud your idealism,

unfortuanltly for every person you get to agree to this their will be someone else who is convinced that such pursuits will lead to people involved becoming mass murderers and the higher the profile of the game/pursuit then the louder they will scream.

SimpleSam06

Justice wrote:

i applaud your idealism,

unfortuanltly for every person you get to agree to this their will be someone else who is convinced that such pursuits will lead to people involved becoming mass murderers and the higher the profile of the game/pursuit then the louder they will scream.

I rather thought all that confused, hysterical press was a thing of the past, and mostly confined to the bible belt in the US in any case...

Nevyn

There is a gamers youth club currently running in dublin which is funded by firoige.
http://www.foroige.ie/
http://www.planetepoch.com/websites/d15gamers/index.php

Foroige have said they would be happy to have fund other clubs running of the same format arround the country.

D15gamers provides a safe enviroment and is run out of one of the local halls.
It promotes gaming and the ways in which is it a benefit to young people and the skills it can teach, from teamwork, leadership, problem solving, maths skills, encouraging reading ect ect.

Justice this type of gaming both rpg, collective card games, strat games and table top wargaming is lot more mainstream then it used to be and a lot of parents are happy to have a place they know thiers kids can go and take part in such things in a more supervised manner then the likes of the dublin games guild.

SimpleSam06

Thaedydal wrote:

There is a gamers youth club currently running in dublin which is funded by firoige.

Thank you, Thaedydal, it was in fact your mention of that club in an earlier thread that put the idea in my mind. Do you mind if I ask to what extent foroige supports the youth club, or what structures they require in order to fund the club?

Nevyn

That it is run as a foroige club the details of which can be found on thier website.
The offier both monetary support and will have a list of situitble venues for the club in the area and usually will pay part of the rent and they offer training for the leaders as well.

SimpleSam06

Thaedydal wrote:

The offier both monetary support and will have a list of situitble venues for the club in the area and usually will pay part of the rent and they offer training for the leaders as well.

Hmmm. I had in mind a bit more than that, although what you mention is quite reasonable. If I emphasise the "alternative to alcohol" angle and approach those parties mainly interested in that, I might get even more assistance. I mean how much government funding does the GAA receive, and one of their main sponsors is Guinness?

Nevyn

All foroige clubs are alcohol free clubs.
You will find that you will have to utilise the bodies that are there to sort out funding tbh, be it foroige or the catholic youth council.

SimpleSam06

Thaedydal wrote:

the catholic youth council.

Yikes, lets dodge them with a vengeance... how about local government, city or county council initiatives? Theres no reason to confine it to youth organisations, in fairness, its not like there is a surplus of facilities for the over thirty in Ireland either.

Nevyn

Currently there aren't that many clubs for adults that are into gaming,
it seems to revolve the colleges.
In Dublin I know of the games guild and of the groups that meets in the merchantile bar but there is not vlubs for well, ahem grown ups.

SimpleSam06

Thaedydal wrote:

Currently there aren't that many clubs for adults that are into gaming, it seems to revolve the colleges.

Academia, while a laudable thing in its own right, has the lamentable side effect of excluding more people than it helps, and so it is with the university based or affiliated role playing groups, I feel. A concerted effort towards a non-academic related social and gaming club is what I am driving at here...

Nevyn

I was stating the current state of play not saying it was unchangible or desired.