Year: 2017

Volunteering at the World Para Athletics Championships

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

We all know that volunteers support sporting events across the world – at both a grassroots level and at major sporting events – the World Para Athletics Championships are no exception. Mary O’Leary, who you may remember from our Rio Olympics blog last year, was Team Attaché for Team Ireland. She reflects on her experience.

“Well another great volunteering & sporting event has come to an end. It’s amazing how time goes so fast but during the course of the World Para Athletics there were so many happy memories and experiences to cherish.  Getting selected to be a ‘Runner’ at the Championships was a real honour but then to be offered the role of Team Attaché for Team Ireland – well, just made my heart full of pride.  The atmosphere is unbelievable from the spectators, fellow volunteers, athletes and support staff – it all creates such a positive vibe that it was impossible not to feel happy to be a part of such an event. And when the school children arrive excited and asking for high-fives – their enthusiasm and spirit for the occasion and willingness to cheer every athlete in the stadium was just wonderful and very contagious.

I enjoyed all aspects of my role and loved supporting my team at all their events.  I was lucky to experience Team Ireland winning 7 medals and that meant 7 medal ceremonies. Being with the team and making sure the athletes’ families were allowed close access to the stage was part of my role at ceremonies. Singing the Irish National Anthem wasn’t compulsory, but I was not going to miss the opportunity, so the fact I got to do it four times, and also to wear my Irish flag earrings – was simply amazing. I even got the chance to wear my shamrock earrings on other days. The entire experience was just wonderful and my face must have shown just how much as I overheard someone saying how much ‘Mary loves a ceremony!

The entire experience has given me so many lovely memories but handing the Irish flag to Jason Smyth and Michael McKillop after they won their gold medals, and then being able to watch them on their lap of honour and being interviewed still holding their flags, was just fabulous. Michael surprised me in the Heroes Village by thanking me for all the support I had given him and the team. What a great team and I feel so proud to have played a small part in the success of the World Para Athletics 2017.”

‘Flying Nun’ Named Volunteer of the Year 2017

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

‘Flying Nun’ Named Volunteer of the Year 2017

Sister Patricia Wall Awarded for Her Dedication to the Sleiveardagh Community

Friday, 1st December 2017: Tipperary native Sister Patricia Wall has been named Volunteer of the Year at the Volunteer Ireland Awards for her dedication to the local community of Slieveardagh in Co. Tipperary.

Sister Patricia is known to many as the ‘flying nun’ for skydiving aged 75 to raise funds for Aware and her local family resource centre. Having battled depression herself while a missionary in New Zealand in the 1960s, she wanted to raise much needed funds and the ‘flying nun’ was born. While it is her skydive for which she is famous locally, her commitment to the local area of Slieveardagh stretches back to 1996.

Since her retirement as a school principal over twenty years ago, she has set up three organisations to support the local community and is still involved in the day to day running of all three. The Millennium Family Resource Centre, Ballingarry Community Development and Slieveardagh Rural Development all came together to nominate Sister Patricia for the impact she has had on the community. Just one of many examples, she was the driving force behind the development of a historical corner in the village of Ballingarry, turning a derelict site into a beautiful tourist attraction and historical monument.

Other winners on the night included Mohammed Rafique, a former Rohingya refugee, who gives his time to the Muslim community and local cricket club in Carlow. Originally from Rohingya, Rafique moved to Carlow in 2009 as part of a UNHCR resettlement programme. He also volunteers as the media coordinator/PRO for the European Rohingya Council who advocate for the human rights of Rohingya people globally.

This was an extra special edition of the Volunteer Ireland Awards as not only was it the tenth anniversary of the awards, they took place in Sligo to mark the end of Sligo’s designation as the European Volunteering Capital 2017.

Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Volunteer Ireland CEO Nina Arwitz said “Volunteers are the backbone of communities across Ireland. Sister Patricia exemplifies everything that is wonderful about the spirit of volunteering in Ireland, from her high adrenaline sky diving to her long-term commitment to the local community. And Mohammed Rafique demonstrates the huge contribution and positive impact that new arrivals to Ireland make, something we are proud to highlight. Volunteers are often unseen but the contribution they make to Irish society is immense. These awards give us a chance to say thank you and celebrate the difference volunteers make every day.”

Further information: Amy Woods, Volunteer Ireland: 085 717 9261

Notes to Editors:

  • Photography

Photos are available on request. Please contact Amy Woods on [email protected] or 085 717 9261.

Category Winners

Animals & Environment

Suzanne O’Neill – Sean Walsh Memorial Park, Dublin

Arts, Culture & Media

Treasa Martin – Ballymun Local Community, Dublin

Campaigning & Awareness Raising

Mohammed Rafique – Rohingya Council, Carlow

Children & Youth

James Dempsey – Big Picture Youth Cafe, Dublin

Community

Patricia Lynch – Dunshaughlin Local Community, Meath

Health & Disability

Mae Murphy – Drumkill Day Care Centre, Monaghan

Safety and Emergency Services

Michael Cardiff – St. John Ambulance Ballyfermot, Dublin

Social Work and Social Inclusion

George and Mary Sugrue – Chernobyl Children International, Kerry

Sports & Recreation

Benny Grogan – WATCH Cycling Club, Louth

Outstanding Group

Ballyphehane & Togher Community Arts & Crafts Initiative, Cork

Volunteer Manager Special Commendation

Eithne Kiely – Sligo Social Services, Sligo

About the Volunteer Ireland Awards

The Volunteer Ireland Awards are the national campaign to recognise Ireland’s volunteers supported by the network of Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services. 30 shortlisted nominees and 3 shortlisted groups and their friends and family attended the gala Volunteer Ireland Awards ceremony on December 1st in the Radisson Hotel, Rosses Point, Co. Sligo. 10 category awardees were announced at the event along with the Volunteer Manager of the Year.

One exceptional volunteer, Sister Patricia Wall, was the recipient of the Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year Award. The award is named in memory of the late Christine Buckley – campaigner, activist and Co-Founder of The Aislinn Education and Support Centre. Christine was Volunteer of the Year in 2009.

Trustees are Volunteers Too!

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

Nina Arwitz is CEO of Volunteer Ireland. In advance of Charity Trustees Week, she reminds us that trustees are volunteers too and that we should apply principles of good volunteer management to our vital board members.

Charity trustees are volunteers too. In our experience that’s something that many of us often forget. And not only are they volunteers, but they are pretty important ones – they take on a huge responsibility on behalf of an organisation, they can have a very significant impact on the direction and even survival of an organisation, and they can do a lot of harm as well.

Just like all volunteers, we need to apply good volunteer management practices if we want trustees to stay, thrive and make an effective contribution to our organisation. And you can’t just apply normal “human resources” approaches to volunteers, because they cannot be held accountable in the same way as employees and they can simply walk away or disengage.

So what does that mean? Here’s a list of six key principles of good volunteer management, and what they mean when applied to charity trustees:

Recruitment: You need to make sure you recruit the right person for a volunteer role, and this goes for trustees too. A role description helps you articulate and think through what you’re looking for and the time required – and it can aid with self-screening by the potential trustee. Do you have a role description for your trustees? If so – answer honestly – is it clear and realistic? Do you go through it with new trustees to ensure they understand their role?

Diversity: Diversity among volunteers keeps a volunteer programme alive, brings new perspectives to an organisation, and helps you reflect your beneficiaries. The same goes for trustees, of course – countless studies have demonstrated that a more diverse board is a more effective board. Where do you recruit your trustees? For example, if you want to increase the ethnic diversity of your board you might want to consider spreading the word by an organisation that supports refugees and asylum seekers – who often bring vast skills and new perspectives. You should also look to your organisation’s beneficiaries for possible trustees.

Induction: A good induction is essential to volunteer management. In that induction you should go through a role description or volunteer agreement, clearly articulating what is expected of the volunteer. It’s also good to introduce the volunteer to staff and the fellow board members, and give an overview of the organisation and how their volunteering will contribute to the aim of the organisation. What kind of induction do you provide for trustees?

Training and Development: Training of some form should be part of every volunteer role. Firstly this helps ensure that volunteers are carrying out duties in line with policy and procedures. Secondly it is a way of keeping them engaged and enthusiastic during their time with the organisation. How many of your trustees have been trained at being good board members? Do you provide a budget for board training? Do you proactively encourage board members to attend training?

Performance Appraisal: Regular performance reviews of volunteers are a good way to review if the volunteer’s motivation and expectations are being met. It can also be a helpful way to identify ways you can continue to support a volunteer’s learning. Perhaps most importantly, it allows you to recognise the volunteer’s contributions and skills and say thank you. Annual board appraisals are equally important, as outlined in the Governance Code (A Code of Practice for Good Governance of Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations in Ireland; governancecode.ie). It is important that board appraisals are an honest evaluation of performance with peer feedback, rather than a box-ticking exercise.

Ending the relationship: Ending a relationship with a volunteer, especially ending it earlier than one party had expected, can be tricky. But it’s critical to have the courage to ask a volunteer who is not delivering their role, who has become stagnant, or who is presenting other challenges such as difficult behaviours, to leave. The same goes for trustees: do you have clear terms of office for your trustees, and do you feel able to end the relationship early if needed? Exit interviews are a good way to find out what went well and what didn’t go well for a trustee during their time with an organisation, but critical feedback can be difficult to give and take – so only do them if you are going to act on them.

Trustees are critical to an organisation achieving its mission, and probably our most important volunteers. Ironically though, we don’t spend much time at all thinking about the fact that they are volunteers and how to manage them as such. If we want our organisation to have the best possible impact on the cause we are fighting for, then we must ensure that we provide trustees with the best possible support that recognises that fundamentally, they are volunteers.

If you want to get better at managing your trustees as volunteers, check out Volunteer Ireland’s training calendar. We have a suite of courses in volunteer management that you might find useful: https://www.volunteer.ie//services/training-for-vios/.

A Day in the Life: A Volunteer Manager

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

Barbara KilbrideBarbara Kilbride, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at St Francis Hospice, tells us about a day in her life.

On my drive or walk to work (depending what Hospice I’m in) I mentally go through my diary for the day ahead, what meetings I’ll be having and some items that need to be actioned.  However, every day can be very different as a volunteer coordinator, you never know what will land on your desk, who will pop up to the office, a conversation you may have and also in between all that, some multi-tasking!    A few years ago Volunteer Ireland ran a campaign about explaining volunteer management – “one job, many hats”, and that exactly sums up my job!

Daily my role includes chatting to the volunteers to see how they are getting on, and thanking them for all their help. Liaising with department managers, holding initial interviews, team meetings and reviews of volunteer requirements.  Training is an important aspect of our volunteer programme and it is very important to us that volunteers feel supported in their volunteer roles. As you can imagine with over 300 volunteers, this takes some coordination.   Also there is the exciting fun element, like organising Long Service Awards, Christmas parties, volunteering study days and running around with chocolates on special days like International volunteer day!

The most important factor I feel as a volunteer coordinator is to have time, time to give to the volunteers, time to listen, support, engage and for them to know that we are grateful to them for all they do.  There is always time and our doors in St Francis Volunteer department are always open.

To me, I feel privilege & honoured to work for St Francis Hospice and also more privileged to coordinate such a wonderful group of volunteers.  They give so much to St Francis Hospice and I get so much positivity from them daily.

In St Francis Hospice we have over 300 wonderful volunteers who work across 45 volunteer roles.  They are an integral part of St Francis Hospice and honestly we couldn’t do the work we do without them.   Every volunteer role enhances the quality care we give to our patients.

If you are interested in the volunteer programme in St Francis Hospice please contact us on (01) 832 7535 or email [email protected]

What winning a Volunteer Ireland Award means to me

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

David McEvoy, Volunteer of the Year 2016, tells us how he began volunteering and what winning a Volunteer Ireland Award means to him.

Winning the Volunteer of the Year Award 2016 was an absolute privilege for me. To be nominated in the first place by family, friends, my fellow responders and my community was a real surprise altogether.

In 2009, I was a firefighter in Birr Fire Station. It was here that I discovered an interest in helping people so I took it upon myself to start research on CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation). Being friends with some local Paramedics, they helped me find out about courses and information on what to do next. I completed some great, informative courses such as Heartsaver AED, First Aid and also became a Community CFR Instructor. Only 3 weeks after completing my learning, my own Dad, Peter, suffered a cardiac arrest.

Thankfully I knew what to do and immediately started CPR and after a long 42 minutes with the help of the Ambulance Service we restarted his heart. It was an absolute relief to hear him speak again. Unfortunately after 7 weeks, he passed away due to an illness but those 7 weeks were fantastic and gave us a chance to say goodbye.

Birr First Responders

After his passing I realised that Birr town needed a first responder group to help in such situations so for the next 3 years I dedicated my spare time to teaching and preaching about the benefits of AED’S and CPR. Due to an illness, I couldn’t continue firefighting but not to let this stop me, I started fundraising and created the Birr First Responders Group.

In March 2012, I launched my group with massive support from my family, friends and our local community. With the help of community businesses and local families we raised a significant amount of money over the next few years and this enabled us to purchase 8 defibrillators along with other lifesaving equipment. At present 5 of these defibrillators are mobile with my responders who are on call to respond to such calls as Cardiac Arrests, Cardiac Chest Pain, Stroke and Choking Incidents. The other 3 defibrillators are currently located at Birr Garda Station, Dooley’s Hotel, Birr and St. Brendan’s Church, Birr.

To date I have trained roughly around 2350 people in the use of an AED and CPR Skills. These places include local schools, local businesses, An Garda Síochana and also surrounding areas. This keeps me going as it is something I really enjoy and have great interest in doing. It also gives me great satisfaction that people have the interest in what my group and I do for our community.

The Volunteer Ireland Awards Ceremony itself was fantastic. Located at City Hall Dublin, it was unreal – the amount of time and effort put into it was phenomenal. Meeting all of the other volunteers, organisers and staff was brilliant. It was great to meet so many people dedicated to what they do. It was a pleasure to be there and be part of it all – it was an absolutely amazing night for us all.

The Volunteer Ireland Awards

Winning the award for the category Emergency and Ambulance Services that night was unreal but for my name to have been called for the Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year Award was unbelievable! I did not expect that at all, I remember sitting there and my wife Siobhan literally had to push me off the chair to receive it. It was surreal. Thanks so much to Conor Buckley whom the award was presented to me by.

Since that night I have been like a celebrity in my town, the amount of congrats and well wishes have been mad and I appreciate every last one of them. As every volunteer knows we are not in it for praise or recognition but the fact that we are helping someone out there that needs it is a joy in itself.

Since the event I think everyone has come to realise what it is that a volunteer actually does and it is unbelievable the amount of different stories people have of what they are involved in. You could sit and listen all day to these people – they are all amazing.

I am so chuffed to have these awards in my home. As I said that night these awards are dedicated to my Dad, Peter, who always encouraged me to go ahead and do what I love to do. Thanks so much to Volunteer Ireland. I loved every second of the event, you in yourselves are amazing people in what you do.

If you’d like to nominate a volunteer like David, nominations for this year’s awards are open until Friday 13th October. Nominate here. 

Allie Sheehan: Young Community Leader

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

Allie Sheehan volunteers with Young Community Leaders – a programme which enables young people to develop practical skills for personal, work or student life. At 22 years old, she tells us how she developed a love of volunteering from a young age.

I have always loved helping out, and from helping out I found my love for volunteering. I have been volunteering from a young age. The love started from when I was in transition year in school, we had to complete a week of community action as part of our work experience. I volunteered with St. Michaels House, a day centre in my community; this is when I found that I loved being part of my community. I then started a program called Young Community Leaders, which allowed me to develop the skills I needed to be an extraordinary leader. The program provided me with amazing volunteer opportunities like SpotsVStripes campaign for the 2012 London Olympics, which meant not only was I involved with my local community but also in the country’s community. I got to travel around the country and be involved in the organisation of family fun days. The course helped me make a lot of friends and it created a lot of opportunities for me, volunteering at the family events helped me to decide to go on to study Event Management in DIT.

I feel that volunteering is an amazing way to give back to the community, but it can also be used to better yourself. It is perfectly fine to volunteer for something for personal gain, whether it’s to improve skills or make contacts for the future. Volunteering is a way for people to gain experience in many different areas and getting to know a lot of different people.

I also think volunteering is amazing for a person’s mental health, especially for me. Volunteering within my community and completing the Young Community Leaders course has helped me gain so much confidence. I have developed a positive mind-set since completing the course and I have used that to set and achieve more goals.

I believe that volunteering is beneficial to everyone, as it helps people develop themselves as well as giving something back to the community. We are all constantly learning and improving and volunteering helps us to do this, we can also gain experience in lots of different areas, which not only makes us feel great, but looks amazing on a C.V.

I still volunteer with the Young Community Leaders and I am still learning new skills and knowledge all the time. It is amazing to pass on what I’ve learned to other people who participated in the Young Community Leaders programme, and that is satisfaction in itself.

My Volunteering Journey: As an Individual, an Employee, and an Entrepreneur

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

Patrice Fanning founded TWi (Technically Write IT) in 2011, having recognised an opportunity for an Irish-based company to offer fully managed high-quality writing, editing, and documentation solutions to leading hi-tech multinationals. She tells the story of how volunteering has always been an integral part of her life and how it’s been incorporated into the ethos of her company.

Growing up, volunteering was very much part of family life. My Dad was heavily involved with St. Vincent de Paul, while my mother and her friends ran a Gorta charity shop, and both of my parents were habitually involved with other charity events and activities – anything from flag days to coffee mornings.

Encouraged to support causes I believed in, I participated in numerous initiatives throughout school and college: running a student chapter of Amnesty International, being a volunteer leader in summer camps for low-income families, carol singing at Christmas, participating in sponsored fasts, walks, runs, you name it.

After graduating, I began working with the software company SAP, and got involved in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. During my five-year stint there, I volunteered with Junior Achievement Ireland, teaching local school children basic principles of business and the working world. I also took part in Ability West’s ‘befriending’ programme and was paired with an amazing girl with Down Syndrome who I met weekly for social activities like cinema, concerts, or shopping.

I started my entrepreneurial journey in 2011, when I set up TWi to provide technical communication services to multinationals. Luckily, incredible support was available through the Rubicon Centre, CIT’s business incubation centre, as well as local business networks such as it@cork and Cork Chamber. I’m incredibly grateful to the individuals who volunteered their time and skills to help me get started.

Initially, TWi had no formal CSR programme. We began with ad hoc donations or sponsorships, sporadic voluntary engagement in local activities, and a commitment to give a portion of our annual profits to charity.

In 2015, we set up an internal Charity and Community Involvement (CCI) group to develop a more structured CSR strategy. In 2016, we focused our support on Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland (AADI) and Cork Simon. This year, we continue to support Cork Simon, along with a new charity partner, Pieta House.

TWi employees have been integral to developing the company’s CSR strategy, volunteering their personal free time to partake in activities including maintenance days at Cork Simon residential properties, coffee mornings, flag days, supermarket bag packing, Cork Simon’s Christmas Jumper day, and the Pieta House’s Darkness into Light event. They’ve also engaged in ‘skill-based volunteering’, offering their core professional skills (writing, editing, and proofreading) to improve the quality of reports, funding applications, and software user instructions for our charity partners.

By integrating volunteering and CSR activities into our company’s culture, our collective contribution has far exceeded what any individual could have achieved independently. From a team-building perspective, we’ve gotten back as much or more than we’ve given.

Our CSR programme encourages volunteering and makes it more convenient. With all the competing demands on our time, it can be valuable to highlight and facilitate tangible volunteering opportunities for staff, along with any willing friends or family.

In my experience, volunteering can be immensely rewarding and have far-reaching and positive effects, regardless of our circumstances and whether we’re on the giving or receiving side.

*This is an abridged version of a longer blog by Patrice which can be found here.

Youth Mentoring at Le Chéile

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

Cathy is a Youth Mentor with Le Chéile who provide a mentoring service to young people involved with Young Person’s Probation. Mentors act as a positive role model, advisor and friend. They work with a young person for 3 hours a week for up to 2 years.

I found out about Le Chéile from a volunteering website a few years ago. Volunteering with LChéile is a very uplifting and fulfilling experience. I’ve made many a friend through the volunteering and enjoy all the new activities and skills I learn. They’re skills I can use in everyday life. I’ve found it’s helped me grow as a person.

There are many challenges but I think a big one for mentoring is not to get too attached. You have to make sure the boundaries are in place at all times. Also, seeing so much potential in a young person that they can not see in themselves can be hard, but with time this can be worked on.

For anybody starting a new match, I would advise them to be patient. It can be hard starting off but the young person is in the same position. Be yourself and enjoy the experience. Share your experience with the rest of the group in supervision. It’s amazing the little tips you can get from others which work with your mentee. It’s important to enjoy the mentoring experience and I believe that even small changes can have a huge impact on the mentee’s life. If you fail, try, try, try again – it’s worth it in the end.

There are many high points, but for me one of the biggest is seeing my young person’s confidence grow and seeing her mature into a fantastic young adult and complete her Junior Cert.

Report On Impact of Volunteering on Health and Well-Being Launched

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

To celebrate National Volunteering Week 2017, Volunteer Ireland launched a new report exploring the impact of volunteering on the health and well-being of volunteers.

There are numerous existing studies which link volunteering to health and well-being. This report takes a different approach by exploring exactly how people feel when they volunteer, what it is about volunteering that elicits these feelings and how exactly volunteering impacts on the overall well-being of volunteers. It also identifies the various factors which affect how volunteering impacts a person’s well-being.

The report combines a short literature review along with the findings of primary research (national survey and focus groups) by Volunteer Ireland involving almost 2,000 volunteers. The full report can be accessed here.

“The lads” that give us a hand!

Posted on by Volunteer Ireland

Lisa Dolan is an Archivist and Volunteer Project Coordinator at the Military Archives and she tells us about her much loved volunteers.

It’s so easy for me to identify the positives of working with our Military Archives’ volunteers aka “The Lads” (Richard, Denis, Jim, Gerry and Tony)! My role as volunteer project coordinator is hugely rewarding both on a professional and personal level; it’s given me an opportunity to develop people and project management skills and learn from the vast knowledge held by our volunteers on aspects of military history and military life.

I’ve been with the Military Archives since 2008 and it was my first time working in an archives service that had, at its core, a desire to both attract volunteers in the first instance and a desire to nurture that relationship for as long as possible.  I put the focus of NVW 2017 “Do Good, Feel Good” campaign to our present volunteers in the Military Archives and once we got chatting about the benefits of doing good works for our health and well-being, we all quickly realised that our present arrangement does make all concerned “Feel Good” about what we’re at! (phew!) . Richard, a retired Defence Forces Officer, said that he “enjoys the variety of work and the opportunity to work with nice people” –he further added that his engagement with the Military Archives has also given him “the sense of feeling productive”.

Our Archive volunteers “Do Good” in carrying out tasks that help us deliver an exemplary archives service to members of the public. They have created thousands of catalogue records which in turn has allowed us to introduce key collections to the researching public.  During the early years of the Military Archives when staff levels were low, the volunteers helped to keep the show on the road and on occasion, provided much needed light relief and welcome company to a hard pressed staff. Although we have expanded our services, increased our staff numbers and diversified in some ways, our commitment to having volunteers on staff is unwavering. Our volunteers tend to carry out their work ‘behind the scenes’ and it may not be entirely clear to anyone visiting Military Archives that we have volunteer staff.  Opportunities such as this blog post, and most recently, an award ceremony organised by us and An Cosantóir army magazine to acknowledge the work of Mr. Denis McCarthy, gives us a chance to highlight the great and good work carried out by our volunteers.

The Military Archives is not alone in managing archive volunteers and the phenomenon of cultural volunteering has gone from strength to strength.  It has been enriched no doubt by the energetic community efforts which focused on the 100 year commemoration of the 1916 Rising – the archivists at the Military Archives had the great privilege of assisting many of these community driven projects over the past two years.   I sincerely hope this blog piece inspires any aspiring cultural volunteer to touch base with their local archives or local studies service and give archive volunteering a go. We are just four years into a busy commemorative programme and there’s plenty of scope, variety and opportunities to learn and make a positive impact in your local community.

Do Good, Feel Good! Happy National Volunteering Week everyone!