Volunteering on the up

The number of people getting involved in volunteer work in County Kildare has been climbing, a recent meeting of Kilcullen Community Action heard.



In a presentation to KCA, Mick Power of the Kildare Volunteer Centre also said that the reasons for volunteering have changed significantly.

“In the Celtic Tiger years, it was a case of people wanting to give something back,” he said. “Now we have people who are interested in learning new skills or gain experience, or simply who have time available because perhaps they have lost their jobs.”

The Kildare Volunteer Centre acts as a form of ‘broker’ for volunteers in the county. Those who register with the organisation are matched to needs for volunteers expressed by a range of groups throughout Kildare.

KVC also runs training courses for groups who use volunteers, so that they can make the experience as good as possible for the volunteer, as well as making the best use of their skills.

Mick Power said that about two-thirds of volunteers on his organisation’s books are under 35, which he felt belied the belief that young people weren’t interested in doing volunteer work.

There is a strong gender imbalance, though, with three women for every man registering to volunteer.

At the moment there are around 1,800 volunteers registered with KVC, and some 200 organisations use the service.

Kilcullen Community Action decided to send representatives on the next training course run by KVC.

Pictured are Celia Travers, Noel Clare, JJ Warren, Mick Power of the Kildare Volunteer Centre, KCA chairman Kieran Forde, Ray Kelly and Orla O'Neill.