Welcome to our latest online newsletter. As the summer draws to a close and the new school year begins, we are delighted to be beginning our program to promote volunteering by and for young people. Look out for our youth officer, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , who will be visiting schools and youth clubs near you.

In Giving we Receive

The decision to return once again to Knockadoon, Cork, as a volunteer leader this year was by no means a difficult one. August 2002 would be my fourth experience of Knockadoon, twice as a camper and twice as a leader and once again as the time drew near my expectations of the week grew.

The role of the leader in Knockadoon, I think most of the leaders will agree, is a busy one, never a dull moment to be had. However, the task is made so much easier by the group of campers which, each year never fail to surprise one if not all of the leaders. This year, for example, Knockadoon was invaded by a group of approximately 120 campers, each as eager and curious as the next as to how the weeks events would unfold. With a group this size not all will arrive having experienced the same type of lifestyle, the same family life, the same anything. Each, with their own importance brings a new element, a new heart to the Knockadoon week. No matter what luggage arrives with the campers, not one ever fails to embrace the week with an open and full heart.

I suppose in essence the unspoken theme to Knockadoon year after year is “one for all and all for one”. Campers and leaders alike, all follow suit and everyone looks out for everyone else. Leaders may have the extra advantage of the endless supply of tea and coffee otherwise all camp rules apply to everyone equally. Yet this unspoken rule is the real eye-opener, the learning experience for me and to me what Knockadoon is all about. Seeing teenagers, many who have never met before, helping, encouraging, motivating, living, crying, supporting and best of all laughing together is the greatest part and is what Knockadoon is. Truly it is inspiring.

There is no easy way to describe the “Knockadoon experience” to someone who has never visited this remote, secluded spot ideally situated facing the Atlantic. For all those who have been fortunate enough to have had this experience, most talk of sincere friendship bonds, a time of thought and reflection, the pier, the sea, the food (whether for good or bad reasons!), the music, the singing, and best of all the laugh. Anyone who has ever been there will always reminisce with a smile on their face.

For me Knockadoon is the people, the campers and the leaders. Each person makes it exactly what it is: a truly wonderful place. A sincere thank you to each person for all the amazing moments we have shared there.

“Until we meet again may God hold you all in the palm of his hand”.

Sharon Deane

"A civilization flourishes when people plant trees under which they will never sit."

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

We are all like one-winged angels. It is only when we help each other that we can fly.

Below are some of our newest volunteering opportunities to give you a flavour of some of the types of voluntary work that are available through the Volunteer Bureau. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone us at 462 8558

STAY Project (Ref 17/99)

The Stay Project is based in St. Aengus' Parish, Tallaght. It's goal is to enable young people (10-16 years) from the parish to stay on in school through youth development activities. The project is looking for volunteers to help the young people with their homework and to help supervise with activities such as cooking, artwork and computer groups.

St. Dominics Community Response Program (Ref 25/02)

St Dominic’s is a community based project set up to respond to drug addiction within the area. It aims to raise awareness and look at the possibility of alternative healthier lifestyles. The project is looking for a cook to prepare a meal for clients on a Friday morning of each week. The meal will be prepared in the kitchens of the project.

Young Families Matter (Ref 26/02)

Young Families Matter is a project based in Brookfield Enterprise Centre and administered by Barnardo's. It is a program for young Mothers and their children. They are currently looking for volunteers to work with children in a group setting and to participate in various activities such as arts and crafts, cookery, reading and play. The volunteer will be an integral part of the team.

Robbie Keane Park (Ref 81/02)

The Robbie Keane Park provides a sports facility for the community of Jobstown. They currently are looking for a sports coach/manager to coach any sport or manage any of their teams.

Volunteering to Explore a Career Possibilities

Are you looking to start a career or to change jobs? Volunteering is a marvellous way to explore possible career options. It is relatively risk-free in that you can sample a work field or setting without making a long-term commitment to it. This allows you to discover whether or not you like the work or are good at it — and if you discover it's not for you, you can move on without disrupting your resume or your cash flow.

On the other hand, if you find the work exciting, you can increase your volunteer commitment so that you learn even more about this new job field and your talent for it. Eventually, volunteering can lead you to a paying job—by providing contacts, references, and something tangible to show on your resume.

For new graduates, volunteering can place you a notch above your fellow students who may only be able to show prospective employers that they studied in the classroom and held minimum-wage summer jobs. Your volunteer work will demonstrate that you have practical skills, can function in a work environment, and care about your community.

For those who are tired of their present job, volunteering is a welcome change of pace. It allows you to test yourself in new situations and to see what truly interests you. It gives you the luxury to fail — the chance to risk doing something you've never done before and to learn from it even if it doesn't work out. Community service shows prospective employers that you not only want to make a change in your job, but that you have already made a change and now want to expand your "extracurricular" activities into a full-time career.

If you have been out of the work force while raising a family, or took a leave due to illness or bereavement, volunteering is a way back into the work place. It gives you the opportunity to develop self-confidence and prove that your skills are still alive (or lets you get back up to speed on new-fangled developments such as computers and faxes).

For the active retiree, volunteering is a second (or third or fourth) career —the chance finally to do what you thought was closed off to you because of job choices you made long ago. Experiment with volunteering and keep your talents youthful.

Volunteering is only career exploration if you consciously select assignments that:
• place you in the type of setting you want to learn about;
• let you work side by side with professionals you can observe and who can answer questions you may have about their career;
• ask for as much training as you can get;
• ask to be "promoted" to tasks of greater challenge so that you can truly use the volunteer experience to document your accomplishments to a prospective employer.

You will learn the most by involving yourself in causes and agencies you want to help succeed. So while you gain career exploration, the agency gains a great volunteer —a win-win situation.

Susan Ellis - Energize Inc

South Dublin County Volunteer Centre
512 Main Street
Tallaght
Dublin 24
Tel: +353 1 4628558
Fax: +353 1 4628384
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web page: www.volunteersouthdublin.ie