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DCRGA announces new set of financial packages in support of Volunteer Centres Ireland PDF Print E-mail
Tallaght Echo - 3rd March
LOCAL volunteering received a huge boost last week as the Government announced a new set of financial packages to help the cash-strapped sector.

The money came just in time for the Volunteer Bureau in Ballyfermot that was otherwise facing the prospect of closure if it had not found a replacement for Urban Two funding by the end of this year.

The details of the €2 million funding scheme was released last Wednesday evening in Tallaght by Minister for State at the Department of Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Noel Ahern.

The package includes a major financial lifeline for the volunteer bureau in Ballyfermot and bolsters the position of Tallaght Volunteer Bureau as a model of best practice in the sector.

When broken down the new measures will mean that for the next three years the nine volunteer centres in Ireland will be in receipt of €50,000 per annum allowing them each to employ a development officer.

In addition €500,000 of all partnership funding will be ring-fenced for the promotion of volunteering activities and the Minister vowed to maintain funding for the Tallaght Volunteer Bureau at €131,000 per annum.

Speaking at the announcement Minister Ahern said that he recognised that in "doing the maths" the amount of money being released shared across every partnership in the country is not a huge figure but it does set an important precedent for central support for these centres.

He said: "I hope that those of you directly involved in volunteering initiative will see the package as a strong statement of support to carry the practical work forward while a national policy on volunteering is being developed."

Ian Callanan, Manager of the Ballyfermot bureau, says that although the figure may not seem like a lot it will give the centre long sought after peace of mind.

He said: "We were in the midst of trying to lobby for funding to replace the Urban Two money that would stop for us at the end of this year, without that money we would have had to shut up shop."

Tricia Nolan, manager of the Tallaght bureau, says that the money is a major development in the establishment of a functioning volunteering sector across the country.

She said: "This is about the putting in of a infrastructure of volunteer bureaus because if you don't have that primary infrastructure who is the money going to go to? you need that local broker.

"It will help centres that are in existence and set up a standard of best practice for how volunteering should be managed."

The funding package that was announced last week will be in place for three years in which time it is hoped to complete the research required to develop and all-embracing national policy on volunteering.
 
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