2021 - Volunteer Ireland

New Pilot Volunteer Programme Launched

Posted on 14/09/202128/04/2022 by Volunteer Ireland

The Community Volunteers is a new pilot programme that offers a new way to bridge the gap between communities that need support and the people who want to help. It was developed based on lessons learned about volunteering during COVID-19 to help us further strengthen and support volunteering in our communities. It gives people the opportunity to get involved in local events and festivals while also supporting more urgent needs that arise unexpectedly, like the community response to COVID-19.

The programme will help organisations respond effectively to needs in our communities by allowing them to engage enthusiastic, local Community Volunteers through their local Volunteer Centres who have raised their hand to say they want to get involved and help.

The programme will be delivered by local Volunteer Centres and will initially run in seven counties – Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Louth, Meath and Wicklow – with more counties joining at a later stage.

The programme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and coordinated by Volunteer Ireland and the network of Volunteer Centres, with support from their Local Authority, in each area.

If you would like to volunteer…

Becoming a Community Volunteer is a great opportunity to get involved in your local community by supporting local events and initiatives. It’s a chance to learn more about your local area, meet new people and develop new skills. Plus, it’s great fun! It will give you the opportunity to avail of unique training in understanding volunteering, supporting urgent community responses and volunteering at events and festivals. 

Learn more about the programme here.

If you would like to engage volunteers…

Becoming a partner organisation allows you to engage Community Volunteers to support local events and initiatives, and also at shorter notice when unexpected, urgent needs arise. The programme allows you to engage Community Volunteers through your local Volunteer Centre that have been recruited, interviewed, skill & interest assessed and ID checked. Volunteers will also be trained in Urgent Community Support and Event Volunteering best practice. Community Volunteers will understand the importance of communication, compassion, confidentiality, manging risks and minding their own wellbeing when volunteering. 

Learn more about the programme here.

Virtual Volunteering at Volunteer Ireland

Posted on 08/02/202128/04/2022 by Volunteer Ireland

In our first blog of 2021, Mark O’Connor tells us of his unique experience of doing his student placement remotely with Volunteer Ireland.

In this blog I will be writing about my recent internship experience with Volunteer Ireland. As a Social Science student in UCD I was able to take up the opportunity of an internship as part of my third year in the newly developed undergraduate programme. Once I realised there was an opportunity for a role on the Corporate & Events team, I sent in my CV and a cover letter before being called for an interview. I was so very grateful to be given such a valuable opportunity at such an uncertain time for myself both academically and professionally.

My experience in Volunteer Ireland was of course very different to that of any previous intern within the organisation. I was not able to meet with the team in person and due to COVID restrictions I missed out on certain in-person activities and events which would usually happen every year in more normal circumstances. However, while the need to work remotely for the entirety of the volunteer experience was definitely a challenging and unusual aspect of the internship, Volunteer Ireland certainly went above and beyond in order to ensure I was both comfortable and confident in my new role. I was fortunate enough to receive a very thorough and well-planned induction two weeks prior to my official start date with the Corporate & Events team in September. The induction lasted a number of hours and allowed me to chat with the team (Terri, Darren, and Anna) about the organisation and what would lie ahead for me in the coming months.

While remote volunteering has certainly posed some challenges, I also believe it provides potential volunteers with some great opportunities. Taking up a virtual volunteer role during a time like this can really help to boost your sense of belonging in a community and increase your confidence and communication skills. It can also be a more flexible option for people that would not usually be able to find the time to volunteer in person due to work schedules or transport issues. I was surprised by how much can be achieved through online collaboration and I really enjoyed helping to plan and execute a number of virtual volunteering sessions as well a letter writing initiative that would see care-home residents receive a positive message during a difficult time.

I am very grateful to Volunteer Ireland for being so welcoming from the very beginning and for giving me the opportunity to add such a valuable experience to my undergraduate degree. I managed to gain a range of interpersonal skills which will benefit me both academically and professionally going forward. Most importantly, I had a really enjoyable and rewarding time with Volunteer Ireland!

Team Impact Day – AbbVie at New Cross College, Finglas

Posted on 15/03/202128/04/2022 by Volunteer

AbbVie engages in a number of community programmes to support this goal such as their Back to School for STEM programme, SEEK programme (delivery of science experiments in schools) and sponsorship of IT Sligo’s Science Festival.

Second partners meeting of eQyvOL Erasumus+ project

Posted on 01/09/202128/04/2022 by Volunteer

On 1^st September 2021, the second meeting of the eQyvol project took place online.

In this meeting, the project partners defined the methodology for the consultation that we will carry out in all EU countries in order to identify the most commonly used quality standards in youth volunteering across the EU.

The results from the consultation will be used to produce the first version of the European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering. Next, we will organise a pilot testing involving youth volunteering organisations from all across the EU. Based on the feedback from the testers, we will define and implement the necessary improvements before the publication of the final version of the European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering in November 2022.

For further information on the eQyvol project, please contact: [email protected] Find out more at www.eqyvol.eu and follow us at Twitter @eQyvol and Facebook @eQyvol

Kickoff meeting of the project European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering

Posted on 09/06/202128/04/2022 by Volunteer

On 8^th June, the kickoff meeting of the European project European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering took place online.

The project aims at defining and disseminating across the EU the first European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering.

In this first meeting of the project, the delegates from the eight partner organisations established the guidelines and work plan for the definition of the standards.

Once the first version of the quality standard is ready in February 2022, the project partners will organise a pilot testing involving youth volunteering organisations from all across the EU. Based on the feedback from the testers, the project partners will define and implement the necessary improvements before the publication of the final version of the European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering in November 2022.

The project European Quality Standards in Youth Volunteering is an initiative of the Spanish Volunteer Platform (Spain) in collaboration with: Centre for European Volunteering (Belgium), Volunteer Ireland (Ireland), CSVnet (Italy), FriSe (Denmark), DKolektiv (Croatia), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bulgaria (Bulgaria), and Neptelia (Spain). The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Team Impact Day – EA Gives Back at St.Michael’s Boys National School in Mervue, Galway

Posted on 15/03/202128/04/2022 by Volunteer

EA Gives Back is an all-day employee community impact experience, focusing on giving back and helping communities thrive. EA Gives Back Global Tour 2019 saw EA engage 892 employee volunteers from their studios in Austin, Montreal, Galway, Bucharest, and Shanghai, who dedicated over 5,600 hours of their time to make a positive impact in their local communities.