Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Volunteering Matters!

You may have been too busy volunteering to nominate someone for our Volunteer Ireland Awards, but never fear! We've extended the deadline!

Nominate volunteers by 18th October!

The Volunteer Ireland Awards are the major annual initiative to celebrate volunteers in Ireland. The awards shine a light on the remarkable achievements of volunteers around the country by honoring them at a national level.

 

There are no limits on how long someone has volunteered, type of volunteering, or age so nominate anyone you think is an asset to the community.

 

Nominations of individuals or duos are accepted in the following categories:

• Arts, Culture & Festivals
• Campaigning & Activism
• Children & Youth
• Environmental & Animal Care
• Health & Wellbeing
• Safety & Emergency Services
• Social Inclusion & Community Support
• Sports & Recreation

There are also categories for groups of volunteers!

Say Cheese! 

This year we are launching a brand new photography contest as a part of the Awards. We want to see the amazing volunteers of Ireland in action! Share your pictures of volunteering in your community for a chance to join us at the Awards ceremony. We’ll be displaying the photos at the ceremony, as well as sharing them with national and local media and on our social media channels.

"My neighbor has gardened the whole town..."

 

"My grandad does loads for the local team..."

 

"My student's online campaign for recycling is brilliant..."

 

"Our friend never misses a call about someone in crisis..."

Changing the whole world starts with changing your world, so we think there's no volunteer effort too "small" to be recognised! 

 

We love hearing about the ripples of impact that the hard working and dedicated volunteers in your community have. Every year we get hundreds of stories of people volunteering their time and talents to better the world in Ireland and beyond. 

And lastly,

Does your organisation engage volunteers, or do you work as a Volunteer Manager? Then don't miss our upcoming training sessions!

Engaging Young Volunteers: practical skills for active citizenship

Mon 4 Nov

This interactive training session is designed to equip volunteers and organisations with the skills and knowledge needed to engage young people in volunteering, while promoting EU values such as human dignity, democracy, and solidarity. 

Flexibility and trustees-coffee, chat and connect

 

Fri 15 Nov

It is easy to forget that charity trustees are volunteers too, and, like with our “core” volunteers, we couldn’t achieve our goals without them. This session will focus on Trustees as volunteers in an informal hour, as part of Charity Trustees' Week.

Volunteer impact measurement

 

 

Mon 9 Dec

 

Gain valuable insights into capturing the essence of volunteering efforts and equip volunteer managers with the  skills necessary to utilise the V-CALC methodology and the platform developed for effective volunteer impact measurement.

www.volunteer.ie