Volunteering Background paper. Volunteer Charter. Comhlámh's Volunteering Options aims to promote responsible, responsive international volunteering and to develop good practice standards among volunteer sending organisations. In doing so, we hope to ensure that overseas volunteering has a positive impact for the volunteer, the sending organisation, and the host project and community. Support Services for Volunteers: Volunteer Charter Information talks and 1:1 appointment service Volunteering Options Website Training courses , pre-decision, pre-departure and upon return home Counselling, debriefing and careers signposting services for returning Irish volunteers. From Charity to Justice: Volunteering and Development Education. 13/03/2013 at 1:12 pm Guest Blog by Lindsay Cleary* There has always been a level of criticism and scrutiny running alongside admiration for people who volunteer overseas.
The missionary tradition in Ireland has ensured that many young Irish people have grown up acutely aware of poverty in the Global South. It’s this sense of charity which undoubtedly leads some young people to look into short-term volunteering. The most effective way of turning this sense of charity into a sense of social justice is through development education. Volunteering overseas without development education is voluntourism. In January 2013, SERVE carried out a survey among past volunteers to get a sense of the impact that development education post-departure and in-country has had on them personally. It is interesting to note that for the majority of people the volunteer experience and the development education programme are equally important.
The full results of the survey can be found here Like this: Research: Models of Volunteering. What Ireland’s EU Presidency could mean for international volunteering. VOLUNTEERS MAKE A unique contribution to achieving development goals, reaching far beyond what cash and technical assistance can achieve.
Last year over 3,000 Irish people volunteered overseas. This is an extraordinary number – about one in every 1,500 Irish people travelled to a developing country to share their skills. This should be an enormous source of pride for Irish people, and at a time when major decisions are being made about the future of international development, it is crucial that volunteering for development remains at the heart of our work in the developing world.
Volunteering Options. Consider Alternatives at Home. In recent times, we have seen an increasing demand for our services from people who are interested in short-term volunteering.
Some of the reasons why short-term volunteering has become more popular are: the increasing professionalisation of development work, which has made it more difficult for people without particular skills or experience to find overseas placements;changes in the Irish economy, which mean that people may not be able to make a long-term commitment to overseas work; andan increase in the number of organisations that offer short-term volunteer placements. Comhlámh aims to develop best practice in the growing sector of overseas volunteering, and to support volunteers in a longer-term commitment to development. Pictured: VSO Volunteers Playing In Malawi In 2007. Why Do People Volunteer. Volunteering abroad is an incredibly fulfilling and worthwhile experience for the community and the volunteer.
All of our projects were either established by the locals or NGO's, ensuring that the time our volunteers spend within the projects will benefit the community in a sustainable manner. Not sure what volunteering is all about? Check out our top 20 reasons to pack up and go... 1) You'll Be Giving Something Back A prominent reason why people volunteer is because they want to do something good for others. 2) You'll Have Unique Opportunities Volunteering abroad offers unique opportunities that are usually off limits to travellers. 3) Use Your Skills to Benefit Others Use your strengths to help others! 4) See a New Culture from the Inside One of the greatest benefits of volunteering abroad is being able to spend an extended period of time in a new country. 5) Experience Personal Growth.