The future, for many groups and organisations, is uncertain. Unemployment and poverty are on the rise and levels of individual debt are at an all- time high. Every crisis presents its own challenges and poses different questions. However, it is impossible to imagine that plausible strategies to address the challenges ahead can be found without a meaningful role for community and voluntary sector organisations. Now, more than ever, it is vital that the County Community Forum acts as a collective force capable of building common agendas and strategic approaches to the challenges ahead. It is also vital that others, including our partners on the County Development Board and in local government, recognise our role as a complement to representative democracy and ensure that support for the Forum continues in to the future.The work of the Donegal County Community Forum and the local area fora over the past ten years has highlighted the crucial role which the community and voluntary sector has to play in the social, economic and cultural life of Donegal more... See more text