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National Volunteer Week

This week is National Volunteer Week (NVW). The week when everyone in the country is asked to try volunteering by either committing a random act of volunteering, joining in one of the many projects that happen every day in their area or if you haven't already volunteered making an appointment to find out how you can contribute.

98% of respondents stated that ‘volunteering makes them a happier person’.

We know that without volunteers to run the sports clubs, visit the ill and elderly, pick up the litter, enhance the environment, operate the help-lines, listen, chat and drive, the world would be a much poorer place.

Today and every day we applaud you!

Leah, Fiona & Yvonne
County Wicklow Volunteer Centre

Fas e-learning at the Libraries

FÁS, in partnership with the Library Council of Ireland, have devised a programme to make learning available to clients through their local library. The aim of the programme is to up skill local persons in Digital Competence and IT Skills. There are no entry requirements, no allowances paid and no charge to participants.

The programme is suitable for persons with little or no IT skills, persons with some IT skills that wish to improve and persons with IT skills that wish to learn online on their own (with access to facilitation) at the library. This is a continuous intake programme.

A facilitator will be present at the library to assist participants familiarise themselves in using a computer and to support their progress through a suite of online courseware hosted on a dedicated website. The learner can choose from a list of available courses to continue the learning process. Learners will have access to the facilitator, while working on their own initiative.

FÁS Training Centres with Library Council of Ireland support are currently selecting libraries to participate. Contact Adele Barrett (071 9159509) or Therese O’Connor (01 8398150) for further information or to see if the programme is running in your area.

8th Annual Walk in the Garden

Get your walking shoes on to help local groups - Saturday 26th May

The 8th annual "Walk in the garden" takes place on Saturday 26th May. Organised by local members of the Dublin Bus Charity Awareness Staff this walk has benefitted many local charities over the last seven years. In excess of €150,000 has been raised for 50 local charities. If you would like to support this amazing local effort why not get your walking shoes on and help them to help Wicklow's voluntary and community sector. Sponsor cards are available from Leah at County Wicklow Volunteer Centre, tel 01 2040884 or call Des on 087 9299251 or Peter on 086 833 6999.

Wicklow Volunteer Centre gets Quality Award

Wicklow Volunteer Centre is delighted to announce that we have obtained the Volunteer Ireland Quality Award. This is in recognition of the quality service we offer to both volunteers and volunteer-involving-organisations. According to Leah Kinsella, the manager of the Wicklow centre "we are delighted with this award, but aware that we need to keep improving our services as volunteering is so important to our local communities. We welcome any suggestions our clients may have for improving our services and are delighted when groups and individuals give us feedback".

Volunteering and happiness

It's official - Volunteering makes you happy!

98% in survey say volunteering makes them happier

People across the country were today rallied to get involved in Ireland’s first National Volunteering Week which takes place from May 14 – 20

Last year more than 10,000 volunteers participated in hundreds of charity and community projects across the country on National Day of Volunteering.

Following five successful National Day of Volunteering campaigns, this year the campaign is being expanded to seven days, making it easier for volunteers, organisations and companies to get involved.

Research carried out by Volunteer Ireland in advance of National Volunteering Week (NVW) has found that being involved in volunteering makes people happier. The research was carried out on more than 500 active volunteers across the country with 98% responding that ‘volunteering makes them a happier person’.

The research also found that the most common reasons for people to volunteer were to:

- Help people (65%)

- Contribute to the community (60%)

- Add experience to CV (37%)

- Keep active (33%)

- Occupy spare time (30%)

- Develop contacts (24%) and

- Find work through volunteering (24%).

National Volunteering Week is being co-ordinated nationally by Volunteer Ireland and delivered locally through the 22 local Volunteer Centres across the country. The flagship project for NVW 2012 is a National Inland Waterways Clean up.

Volunteer Ireland CEO Dr. Yvonne McKenna said that the survey was reflective of a growing particpiation in volunteering in Ireland and she highlighted evidence in the survey of differing reasons for volunteering among older and younger people.

“58% of people said they beileved there is a difference between why younger people (aged 14-50) and older people (50+) volunteer. Also among those whose employment had been negativly effected by the recession 68% said it made them more likely to volunteer.

“The responses do show a pattern that older people were most likely to volunter in order to stay active and socially engaged, while there was a greater emphasis among younger people on volunteering as a way of improving employment propects in the current recessionary climate.”

Dr. McKenna encouraged as many people as possible get involved in National Volunteering Week: “If it’s only for a minute, an hour, or a day – volunteering is a wonderful way to connect with your community, meet new people and make a real difference.”

To get involved in NVW 2012 go to www.volunteer.ie where you can:

1. Look up projects in your area and register to get involved.

2. Develop your own project and register it.

3. Participate in the flagship project – A National Inland Waterways Clean Up.

4. Check out the list of 30 ‘Random Acts of Volunteering’ examples to get some inspiration.

Wicklow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Wicklow SPCA

Sharpeshill Animal Sanctuary,

Ballygannon Mór, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow

0404 44783

Dear Everyone,

We at the Wicklow SPCA are looking into an overall plan to upgrade all the facilities here at the Sanctuary for all the animals in our care. It has come to our attention that first on the list to upgrade is the cattery. It is with this in mind we are going to extend the cattery and upgrade the current building. This is spurred on by the kind and generous donation of animal isolation units donated by UCD, which will much improve our isolation. We are also going to have a cat and kitten unit.

So it is with these improvements in mind that we are now in earnest fundraising to complete the build by the end of this year. We are asking people to “Sponsor a Brick” at €5. Again we are asking and depending on people’s generosity and kind heartedness to continue to strive to provide the best facilities and care for the cats in our care. It is only through your kind donations that we can achieve this.

For further information please see www.wspca.org.

Warmer Homes Scheme

Bray Community Enterprise, 4 Prince of Wales Terrace, Bray, Co. Wicklow

Phone: 01- 286 6080 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Eligibility:

Certain eligibility criteria apply.

To find our more and to register your interest please contact

Gordon on 01 286 6080

If your home is often cold and hard to heat it might be because it is poorly insulated.

Our

free The Warmer Homes Scheme could help you improve the energy efficiency and warmth of your home if you are a home owner on a low income living in Co. Wick-low.

Services available include:



Attic Insulation



Draught Proofing



Lagging Jackets



CFL Bulbs



Cavity Wall Insulation

This programme is supported by : The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Department of Social Protection and Bray Area Partnership.

OECD reports Irish as second highest country in OECD for Citizens Volunteering

OECD A survey from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reveals that the amount of time spent by Irish people volunteering outside the home is the third equal highest in the OECD. Ireland is the second highest country in the OECD for citizens volunteering time, giving money and helping a stranger.

The surveys says that on average 60% have done so in the previous month, compared to an OECD average of 39%. The survey - carried out in 29 industrialised countries - also reveals that Mexicans work the longest days and Belgians the shortest. Mexicans toil for 10 hours a day on average in paid and unpaid work, such as household chores. Belgians work just seven hours, which is one less than the average in most other OECD countries.

The study is based on surveys of people between the ages of 15 and 64 in 26 OECD member countries plus China, India and South Africa. The surveys required people to say what they were doing every five minutes or so over the course of the day.

The poll covered people in retirement or on days off from work, meaning the averages are skewed by countries with more generous holiday allowances or earlier retirement ages.

Key findings Ireland (Adobe pdf)
Key findings unpaid work (Adobe pdf)
Download the full report (Adobe pdf)

Anti Poverty Mag 134 - Volunteering: a tool for inclusion

Anti Poverty Network In 2011, the spotlight shifts from Poverty and Social Exclusion to Volunteering, with the baton passed from the EU Year for combating poverty and social exclusion to the European Year of Volunteering 2011. What is the link? How can we build on the strengths of volunteering yet guard against the risks of abuse in the context of current attacks on Europe's welfare State and social model?