Latest News
South Dublin Tidy towns 01 February 2012, 12.15
A South Dublin County Tidy Towns public meeting is taking place in Tallaght Stadium on Thursday 16th February at 7.30pm. Speakers will include a Tidy Towns competition adjudicator, Public Realm Designer, speaker from Lucan Tidy
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Volunteer Centre Newsletter - January 12 05 January 2012, 16.58
Volunteer Centre Newsletter
Monday 9th January 2012
New Community Hub Announced.
Are you a small community group in South
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Celebrate Volunteering! 17 November 2011, 14.40
Celebrate Volunteering on 5th December International Volunteer Day
As you know, 2011 celebrated the European Year of Volunteering and we had many events in South Dublin
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New quality mark for volunteering! 07 November 2011, 15.25
Volunteer Ireland is delighted to announce that they recently secured funding from the EU as part of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 to develop a framework for a national quality standard for involving volunteers. This
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| Often, there are so many volunteer opportunities to choose; finding the right one is difficult. Here are some helpful hints: Pick an issue you really care about. What are some community problems that concern you? If your choices include broad issues like health or environment you may want to narrow it down to specific parts of the problem (e.g., cancer or clean water). Ask your friends. Over 65% of all volunteers who volunteer do so because they were asked. Look at immediate needs. Organisations submit immediate needs to the Volunteer Centre. Review their needs and get some ideas of the possibilities. Check out the online database. Think about your skills. Are there skills that you have that you'd like to use in a volunteer opportunity? Ask the Volunteer Bureau for ideas. Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 4628558/ 4579176. We;re more than happy to give ideas. Be Aware Of Your Needs: One of the most important considerations you should think about before volunteering are your needs. Motivation: What do you want to gain from volunteering? This answer varies from person to person and no answer is wrong. From a chance to make a difference, to using a skill or talent; from gaining professional experience to expressing your religious faith; from a chance to meet new people to achieving personal growth; gaining a more balanced life to giving something back. There are lots of reasons people volunteer. Be aware of yours. Age: If you are under 16 you will need to let the volunteer co-ordinator know your age; some agencies have set age limits for their volunteers. Time: For many people the biggest barrier to volunteering is a busy schedule. However, most of us really can fit volunteering into our lives. There is no minimum time requirement you can put in an hour a day, an hour a month, or an hour a year. Look for holes in your schedule or combine volunteering with other important activities like family time, or combine it with a hobby (e.g. photography, playing the piano, etc.}, Location: Remember to pick a convenient location - sticking with a volunteer opportunity will be hard if getting there is part of the problem. Fun: Remember that you should enjoy your volunteering experience. Pick something that you think will be fun, fulfilling and enjoyable. Remember that if you decide to volunteer with an organisation, you do have certain rights and responsibilities (see rights and responsibilities of a volunteer for further details ). |