Recession got you idle? Volunteer!

star gazer

In the current economic climate it is difficult for many to find jobs. There is an old tradition of emigration in this country but the choices in that are limited given the global nature of the downturn. It can be a very tough time to be out of work now. While the very nature of volunteering means 'unpaid' a lot of what volunteers do can be rewarding and can help develop skills that can be of use in a future workplace. At a time of less money for community organisations and services the role of the volunteer becomes even more important for community cohession. There are a couple of big points in volunteering. The first being the decision to volunteer and the second finding the volunteering position that suits and that benefits others. There are volunteering options in areas as diverse as emergency services to mental health to animals to politics to money advice. Good Luck.

A national directory of voluntary groups from the citizens information board: pdf
Helping you to find a volunteering opportunity volunteer.ie
Volunteer abroad Dóchas
In sport Coaching Ireland

Bray Youth Info

info night thread

star gazer

The recession isn't getting any better yet. The potential benefit of volunteerism for the community is probably increasing as the money for services becomes more limited. The dignity of a full time paid job may be some time away for significant numbers of people in the months and years ahead but maybe voluntary work can give something to the individual in terms of self worth and skills learning as well as contributing to the well being of the community. Voluntary work may not be for everyone but there are a very wide range of opportunities in the voluntary sector. Finding what voluntary position fits the individual may take some effort but being idle can present its own problems. Volunteering can keep hope alive in these challenging times and give a little hope to others too.

From RTE news a report on the volunteer centres Ireland (VCI) national day of volunteering that took place yesterday.

Zynks

I still have a job, but wouldn't mind signing up to see where I could be of assistance. I am not too confidence that I will be employed in six months time. Whether it happens or not, I might as well start getting to know what's going on in the more socially aware domain than were I find myself today.

Thanks for the info.

star gazer

You're welcome. I hope things work out for you.


Boards.ie have a couple of fora that could be useful and here are a few other organisations websites.
Garda Reserve Barretstown
Civil Defence: boards thread county by county some details
Irish Red Cross/Order of Malta/St. John Ambulance
St Vincent de Paul

Some organisations may be unable to take on volunteers at this time for various reasons so don't get too down hearted if people just aren't recruiting volunteers at present. Necessity is the mother of invention and while some people during this recession will emigrate and others might start a new business, others still might find a vounteering opportunity which helps them get through the recession with some valuable experience and having made a meaningful contribution to the community. It's not a good situation in the economy but this could be an option?

IvySlayer

I really want to volunteer.

I just don't know exactly what I want to do though. I'd like to do something that really helps people. So not Garda Reserves or Civil Defence.

star gazer

To be fair the Garda Reserve and Civil Defence help the community in a different way to someone like say, St Vincent de paul (linked above). Barnardos help children and Simon work to reduce homelessness.

romah

A good place to start the volunteering process would be to contact your local VOLUNTEER CENTRE........try www.volunteer.ie for the full list .

There are 20 around the country

Volunteer Centres provide a placement service between individuals and groups who want to undertake voluntary activity and organisations that are seeking to involve volunteers. Their primary function is to match individuals and groups interested in volunteering with appropriate volunteering opportunities.

star gazer

Increased volunteering this year. People are responding to the crisis with a volunteering spirit and making the best of things while the economy is changing.

Volunteer Centres Ireland calls on organisations to celebrate International Volunteer Day this December 5th in the wake of the most sucessful national day of volunteering since its inception just 3 years ago.

The recession has seen a massive increase in the number of Irish people seeking to volunteer in their local communities.

New figures released today (4th Dec) show that the number of citizens who are prepared to give up their time to help others has increased exponentially.

So far this year, a total of 12,600 individuals have registered to volunteer with Volunteer Centres Ireland – the state supported national volunteering organisation This represents an increase of more than 70% per cent on last year.

phil16phil

I have something I think I could do.
I havn't come across anything similar before though.
I would appreciate if someone could give me their opinions or advice.

I am a 44 year old male currently studying for a degree in Information Technology. I alreday have a degree in engineering.

What I could offer is free grinds to maybe junior cert or leaving cert students, I would be especially good at maths where a lot of studnts find difficulty. I dont have any facilities or resources but I do have some knowledge and some time I could spare.

I would be keen to do it for students/families who can,t afford grinds.

An Bhanríon

Depending on which college you are in they may be running an 'Access' programme. Grinds are sometimes organised through such programmes.

Otherwise contact the Vincent de Paul. One of the things they look for is people to offer grinds for secondary school children who can't afford it.

phil16phil

Thanks An Bhanríon,
I wasn,t aware of the "Access" program......The students union might be worth contacting then.

silverberg

phil16phil Ozanam House Resource center provides after school home work clubs for under privileged children you may be interested in. http://www.dublin.ie/websites/ozanamhouserc/volunteers.asp

Galen

I was interested in volunteering for Western Care except they want three written references. I can understand the need for the Garda check but three written references, who from?!

star gazer

It's important to acknowledge that people have been volunteering in this difficult time and keeping many worthy activities and organisation running. It helps to build community and in turn helps individuals to develope a sense of self.
Volunteer.ie

New figures released today give insight into the make up of Irish volunteers and it seems that 70% of those registering to volunteer via their local Volunteer Centre are under 35 while 31% of volunteers are under 25. The figures released by Volunteer Centres Ireland (VCI) show that in Ireland more and more young people are contacting their local volunteer centre to get involved with their local communities.

The number one reason young people give for volunteering is that they want to ‘Give Something back’, followed by ‘gain or improve slills’. ‘Make a Difference’, ‘Free Time’ and ‘Want to Do Something for my Community’ also make the top 5 reasons young people are volunteering. While young people have mostly altruistic motivations to volunteer many of them are using volunteering to keep active and upskill during the downturn in the economy.

Indeed Volunteer Centres Ireland has seen a huge increase in the numbers of young people coming forward to volunteer during the last eighteen months with a more than 100% increase in the numbers of people volunteering overall.

star gazer

The unemployment rate has stabilised but unfortunately it looks like emigration is taking up the slack. The cost to society of emigration isn't anything new to this country over the generations. It does look bleak at the moment but it doesn't mean there is no hope.
Volunteer.ie

New research released by Volunteer Centres Ireland today shows that unemployed people identified volunteering as positively benefiting both their physical and mental well being. The national network of volunteer centres had previously seen a hike of 70% increase in people registering with them to volunteer, since the onslaught of the recession in 2009. Many of them were recently made redundant.

The study found that individuals benefit both from the act of volunteering and from its ‘by products’: respondents acknowledged that it felt good to help others, but also that they benefited from learning new skills, making contacts and keeping busy. The act of volunteering is a self-validating experience that boosted respondents’ confidence and self esteem. This occurred because of the satisfaction individuals felt from helping others and also the realisation that they could make a difference in society or in people’s lives without being in paid employment. A number of respondents identified the positive impact of volunteering for returning to work too.

Dr Yvonne McKenna, CEO of Volunteer Centres Ireland said “This research just proves what we have known for years - volunteering makes us stronger. Volunteering has a proven positive impact on volunteers, those they volunteer with and society in general. Volunteering is not the solution to unemployment – employment is – but a number of unemployed people are benefiting from volunteering during their period of unemployment. Volunteering can help us build stronger neighbourhoods, stronger communities and a stronger Ireland”.

It has been shown elsewhere that long term unemployment can leave a scarring effect, making it more difficult for people to re-enter the workforce. Volunteering can assist in helps avert some of the long-term damage caused by unemployment.

star gazer

The state of the economy is still a problem for hundreds of thousands of people. There is an aggressive title to this thread, especially when people have tried very hard to find paid work in such a difficult climate but it is important to try to keep active and to do that in a positive way for the community. It is the kind of spirit the country could do with so that we can help get past the excesses of the past. Maybe in taking one step and successfully volunteering, other opportunities will arise in employment or to setting up a business. Whatever happens try to see that this recession does not inevitably have to put people down. It can provide the opportunity to get involved in areas not considered before and maybe in finding an area you like, you can find a passion that can drive you to excell and find opportunities to make a living out of it. It is a little bleak to have to start at a voluntary level but in being active and getting experience there is that glimmer of hope for better times ahead.

For anyone on Social Welfare this page has the useful information necessary for volunteering.

dory

It does have an agressive title, but that is good. People need to know the beneifts of volunteering to them and the community. I got my current position because of the volunteering I'd done. No other reason. It can improve your skills, fill CV gaps and you help people!

magentas

I recently registered with local volunteer centre it's something I had been meaning to do for so long and I'm delighted I'm involved now.

There's any amount of options I love animals so I'm helping out in a dog rescue centre walking feeding socializing and just playing with them!

There's loads of stuff you can get involved in depending on how much time you have to give and what you're passionate about. The one-off positions are handy as you don't have to make long-term commitments if it doesn't suit you

I was out of work for a while (not anymore TG) but volunteering gives you purpose and a bit of routine so is a big confidence booster when you have low self-esteem and anyway it's just great to be able to help out!

livvy8

hi i was just wondering if someone could help me out, i would really like to partake in voluntary work involving ppl with multiple sclorosis. i would be really interested in working with people themselves as opposed to fundraising, not that i wouldn't like to fundraise (its more of a cofidence thing in that area).anyway i've always worked in the area of social care this is something i would really like to do

thanks!

The Real B-man

livvy8 wrote: »

hi i was just wondering if someone could help me out, i would really like to partake in voluntary work involving ppl with multiple sclorosis. i would be really interested in working with people themselves as opposed to fundraising, not that i wouldn't like to fundraise (its more of a cofidence thing in that area).anyway i've always worked in the area of social care this is something i would really like to do

thanks!

Hi Livvy8,

You should try MS Ireland they would be the best source for such Volunteering importunity.

http://www.ms-society.ie/pages/volunteering-2/

livvy8

The Real B-man wrote: »

Hi Livvy8,

You should try MS Ireland they would be the best source for such Volunteering importunity.

http://www.ms-society.ie/pages/volunteering-2/

cheers thanks!

star gazer

This recession is getting tougher and a lot of people will have left the country by the end of it. There is a sense of hopelessness and with the political situation being so up in the air it is hard for people to feel hope. The country flew too high for a while and now has to come down to earth again. As people reassess their priorities it gives a chance for the importance of community spirit to become apparent. In rebuilding that spirit, in time, our confidence as a country can reemerge and with it a resilient economy.

I came across this through the VolunteeringIreland website.
Volunteering: A stepping stone to a career in development It's on Saturday and you need to register but it could be useful to someone trying to weigh up their options, details through the link.

humanitarian and author Don Mullan, will engage and inspire you with his personal experience and work in global justice. Concern Worldwide's HR Manager will give some practical advice on what types of experience they look for in a candidate.

star gazer

It may take some time for the economy to pick up. People are still waiting for a bit of certainty to spend instead of save. Budgets have tightened. Unemployment is still high and emigration has become an option for many people now. So it may not be great for a while. Volunteering may be a useful option for some. There are a wide number of areas that could be used as a stepping stone on the way to getting a job while at the same time working to help the community. The following story may be of use to some.
Volunteer Now

“After completing my degree in Social Psychology at university I began looking for a job, however I had no experience in the field and therefore struggled to find employment. I saw an advertisement in the Belfast Telegraph for Mentors for Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) which you could do voluntarily. I went online to get more information and found it would give me the necessary experience I would need to get a job.

To be a volunteer mentor you had to be committed for a year, be fun, enthusiastic and care about what was going on with young people involved in the scheme. I did a bit of research and went to the taster session and decided to go ahead with being a volunteer. VOYPIC offered OCN accredited training so I would get a qualification. I completed the training and started meeting up with a young person once a week for a year. It was great fun and I developed a lot of skills. The young person also developed greatly and that gave a great sense of satisfaction.
...

mr.bovy

once listing positive points behind that type of work, its important to consider whats bad about it... Surely money is not the only drive and the fact that doing the same is not producing any income is not necessary wrong or naive... Whats bad is that it is not helping job market at all... its creating perception that there is big resource of people who can work for free as well as for money. And there is nothing in this movement what could stop that kind of thinking... Sure, if you are good, company may keep you, but lets dont forget competition! there will be always somebody else to take over and kiss your feet to opportunity....

Call it whatever you want. Considering many of other circumstances, I call it slavery....
Just look at fas.ie website and filter amount of unpaid positions vs. real ones...
Im amazed how society allows that kind of exploitation to take place...

looking forward to your response.

thanks!
W

star gazer

People gaining skills while the jobs market is so bad does help their prospects for future employment. Voluntary work also gives people something that challenges them while helping the community. This thread isn't intended to be a charter for volunteers to be exploited by For-Profit organisations. It is fair to point that we should be very wary of displacing employed people with volunteers. The theme of the thread is simply one way of keeping people active while there is such an unusually harsh recession ongoing. The option to emigrate is there and there is no shame in that. It would be a good thing though if we could keep the energy and innovation in Ireland of the people who might leave or to keep alive the ambition and drive of the people who are "idle" at this time.

star gazer

Research carried out by Volunteer Ireland in advance of the National Day of Volunteering has found that being affected by the economic downturn makes people more likely to volunteer.

Among respondents who were either not working or working less as a result of the recession, almost 70% (69.2%) said that the change in their employment had made them more likely to volunteer.

The research also found that what people most wanted from the organisation they volunteered for was to ‘be accepted as a valuable team member’ (48%), followed by receiving ‘feedback about their contribution’ (19%). Only 1% of the 500 respondents said they wanted public acknowledgement of the volunteering work they did.

Almost half of respondents had third level qualifications (47%) and of those the most common field of study for volunteers was Arts and Social Sciences at 35%, followed by 20% from Business, 9% from Marketing & PR, 8% from IT and 7% from science. Interestingly, the majority of those surveyed responded that they were not volunteering in an area related to their studies (62%).

Volunteer Ireland CEO Dr. Yvonne McKenna said that the survey was reflective of a growing participation in volunteering in Ireland and she highlighted the National Day of Volunteering as an opportunity for more people to try something different, have good fun and bring benefit to the community.

volunteer.ie
Some interesting research released to coincide with the launch of the Volunteer Ireland National day of volunteering, September 30th. The majority don't volunteer in an area related to their studies. Also what people wanted most from the volunteer organisation was "be accepted as a valuable team member". Interpreting that: people want to know they are making a real difference and that they are respected.

star gazer

The head of Volunteer Ireland, Yvonne Mckenna had a comment piece in the Journal.ie recently about volunteering and a new Ireland. It makes for interesting reading. We as a nation have a lot to benefit from volunteering and it also helps individuals to gain pride, skills and experience.
journal.ie

...
We all know that volunteering is ‘a good thing’. It is the engine that powers over 15,000 organisations whose very purpose is to contribute to the public good. Volunteering is an essential sign of a society that recognises people are interdependent. The value of being connected is impossible to put a price on. It’s the very purpose of our existence and the prime means of good health, mental and physical.

Talk of broken societies and starting national conversations about what it means to be Irish can seem platitudinous. What is actually happening, however, is far from empty or banal. Literally every minute of every day someone somewhere in Ireland is volunteering. These volunteers are actively seeking and creating a better society. Maybe that’s where we should be looking to source answers on what it means to be Irish or what it means to live in Ireland today. Why wait for change when you can make it happen? September 30 is the National Day of Volunteering. More than 8,000 people participated last year. This year, we’re hoping it’ll be an even bigger and better event.

shangri la

Are there any big brother type of volunteering organisations in Dublin?

I would also be interested in an adminstrative role with a foreign aid agency.