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You are here: Volunteers clock up over 425,000 hours of voluntary work in 2011
Voluntary work equates to a value of over €9.2m
Volunteer Ireland, the national volunteer development agency, today announced that over 11,600 volunteers registered with Volunteer Centres across the country in 2011, a 24% increase over 2010 registrations. Volunteer Centres work to match and place those interested in volunteering with suitable volunteering roles.
Volunteers who registered in 2011 contributed over 425,000 hours of voluntary work to community groups and charities across Ireland. Using the average industrial wage, this work equates to a value of over €9.2 million.
Of the volunteers that signed up in 2011, the most popular categories of volunteering opportunities were ‘Practical Work’, working with ‘Older People/ Active Retired’ and ‘Befriending’. One in five registrants last year were unsure of what they wanted to do, but knew they wanted to do something.
14% of volunteers that signed up last year wanted to volunteer to ‘give something back’. 11% of registrants were volunteering to improve skills. 63% of the volunteers who signed up with Volunteer Ireland last year had never volunteered before.
Volunteers who sign up through Volunteer Centres are predominantly young, with 62% of volunteers under 35 and more than a third under 25 in 2011.
Commenting on the success of 2011, Volunteer Ireland CEO Yvonne MCKenna said: “2011 was the European Year of Volunteering so we were particularly delighted to see a 24% increase in people registering with Volunteer Ireland last year. With volunteers contributing over 425,000 voluntary hours in 2011, it shows just how valuable volunteering is to the Irish economy. Volunteering offers people an opportunity to come together, learn new skills and make a real difference.”
For those interested in volunteering, it’s easy to get involved. Call in to your local Volunteer Centre or visit www.volunteer.ie and find a volunteering opportunity near you.
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