Meath Partnership is the county-wide community organisation responsible for the design and[DB1]  implementation of local, rural and community development programmes across our region. We specialise in building the capacity of local communities through the design and implementation of a range of projects and programmes tackling persistent incidence of exclusion and disadvantage. We are a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status and employ 40 full-time staff. We are responsible for the implementation of the LEADER programme in our territory, and focus on improving the economic, social and cultural quality of life through the creation of sustainable rural communities in County Meath. Meath Partnership is also responsible for delivery of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in Meath. Our work on SICAP focuses on supporting the integration of marginalised groups into society and economy. Under this programme Meath Partnership are continuously engaged on-the-ground with communities supporting the development and progression of local community structures, enhancing civic and social participation, creating new crosssector partnerships aimed at addressing educational deficits and cultivating tolerance and cultural appreciation. Within our social inclusion work we engage with the most marginalised people and social groupings targeting those furthest from access to education, training and employment, and those at highest risk of social exclusion. We facilitate active and constructive dialogue, between state agencies and communities of interest and place, regarding the enactment of public policy priorities at local level and foster an integrated and coordinated approach to our work by bringing together people, groups, agencies, voluntary and statutory bodies in order to make a positive difference to endemic or temporary social problems and issues. Additionally, as a programme within Meath Partnership, the Meath Volunteer Centre (MVC) operates a “One stop shop for Voluntary activity” to cover all of County Meath. Providing information and advice to people interested in volunteering, it also actively places volunteers in organisations throughout the County. Established in late 2008, MVC has worked with over 3,700 volunteers and 380 community and voluntary organisations across the county. Through our outreach services, we promote volunteerism in areas in Meath traditionally underrepresented by voluntary groups. We are a member of Volunteer Centres Ireland, a network of 22 Volunteer Centres and we are accredited trainers in the area of Volunteer Management Practice at community level. Meath Partnership has extensive experience of EU programmes gained through initiatives like the Erasmus+, EU Lifelong Learning, Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), The Rights Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme, EQUAL Community Initiative and INTERREG. We are currently involved in 17 projects funded under the Erasmus+ Programme, 1 project funded under the REC Programme and 1 under AMIF. We also have access to and are involved with a number of networks at regional, national and European Level in order to influence policy supported by learning from our work.