e-VOC: Fourth Transnational Meeting in Galway (Ireland)

On 18th and 19th June, the four partner organisations of the e-VOC project met in Galway (Ireland) for the fourth project meeting.

The e-VOC project aims at improving the offer, accessibility and quality of training for the professionals of the European voluntary sector on the validation of competences. To do so, four organisations from four European countries have joined forces to develop the first open and multilingual online training course for the professionals of the European voluntary sector on the validation of competences.

During this meeting, the partners presented and evaluated the improvements implemented on the online training course since the last meeting in Rome, in January 2018. Afterwards, the partners went through the plan for the next project activities: the events that will take place in Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Ireland to present the online training course to Volunteer Coordinators and other professionals from the voluntary sector.

The online training course will be accessible for free in three languages (English, Spanish and Italian) from September 2018. Those who are interested in accessing the online training course as soon as it is published can now register at www.e-voc.eu

This project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, is a joint initiative of: the Spanish Volunteering Platform (Spain), CSVnet (Italy), EDOS Foundation (Netherlands), and National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland).

For further information at www.e-voc.eu

 

My personal volunteer story

Bastin Jose volunteered at Volunteer Ireland as part of his degree at IT Tallaght. He spent time with the corporate team and played a huge part in the Points of Light Global Gathering in Dublin. These are his thoughts on volunteering.

I have always wanted to get involved in volunteering and loved helping others. I had volunteered beforehand and really enjoyed it. It was always in the back of mind to get out and volunteer but with college and a part-time job it was hard to find time for it. However, as a part of degree, it was compulsory for me to either spend a semester abroad or obtain an internship at home. As a lover of languages, I chose to spend a semester abroad in France. Unfortunately, it did not go as I had planned and I was in bit of a sticky situation. This was however a blessing in disguise, as I was able to obtain an internship at Volunteer Ireland.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship and that was due to the amazing staff at Volunteer Ireland. It was great to work with a group of people who were always happy and motivated to be promoting volunteering and volunteering opportunities in Ireland. From organising & taking part in Team Impact Days to the Points of Light Global Gathering event, Volunteer Ireland has given me such a great experience, more than I could have ever hoped to gain

This internship enabled me to become more open minded, to discover various aspects about volunteering, to give back to the community and to meet & work with great people. It has really changed my outlook on life and given me unforgettable moments. Interning at Volunteer Ireland, provided me with the opportunity to experience being in an office working environment as well as an outdoor working environment. I had the honour of organising and taking part in the Points of Light Global Gathering. This was an amazing experience for me, as I had the opportunity to meet and interact with people from all around the world. All this experience that I gained during my four-month internship at Volunteer Ireland will greatly benefit me in future endeavours both personally and professionally.

I certainly believe that everyone would benefit from volunteering, as it provides opportunities to not only help others but help your self-development. Volunteering helps us to become more open minded and in touch with our communities. The beauty of volunteering is the fact that there are so many ways that you can volunteer, as you’re not limited to a certain area or activity. It is an avenue to meet, interact and work with new people. That feeling of pride and satisfaction you receive after volunteering is truly incredible.