Dublin charities spearhead drive for more volunteers

Charity organisations throughout Dublin took part in a recruitment drive for volunteers at the weekend.

Participants in Ireland's first volunteering festival were given a map showing the locations of 66 charities. They then set off on a volunteer trail round the city.

Mr Conall O'Caoimh of Comhlamh, the Irish association of development workers, co-ordinated events on the south side of the city.

He said he hoped the festival could raise the profile of volunteering at a time when fewer people in Ireland were offering their time to charities.

"People are busier. Fewer people are unemployed and people are working longer hours. They have less time and less energy," he said.

Mr O'Caoimh said there were many benefits to be gained from working for charitable organisations. "The benefits are as strong as ever. It doesn't do one's career any harm to have a volunteering engagement. It's also good for personal development. You end up that bit more rounded," he said.

"It's a good way of meeting people where the focus isn't on `How am I looking?' Instead, the focus is on the joint activity," he added.

Mr O'Caoimh said an event like the volunteer festival could show people the great number of opportunities available to those who offered their services to charity organisations. "People will volunteer best in the area where they're motivated and interested," he said.

The focus of the festival on the north side was the Volunteer Resource Centre in Dublin 7, Ireland's largest such centre.

Ms Jacqueline O'Keeffe, an outreach officer at the centre, said she was focusing her attentions on people in the 25-to-35 age group because they were the least likely to volunteer.

"There's a perception of what a volunteer is, a pious dogooder, middle-aged, wearing a twin-set and pearls," she said.

"That does prevent the younger, cooler type getting involved. We want to smash that stereotype."

Ms O'Keeffe said a placement officer at the Volunteer Resource Centre helped match people's skills and interests with appropriate charity organisations.

This meant that, even if they had less time to give, they could volunteer more constructively in their free time.

"There's a perception out there that the number of people volunteering is declining, but that hasn't been our experience whatsoever," she said.

Mr Vincent O'Toole turned up at the event looking for an opportunity to volunteer for the first time.

He said he was six weeks into a six-month career break.

"I've detoxed from the workplace and I've decided to try to do something useful. This seems a golden opportunity to look around a whole bunch of different places," he said.

"Ireland has become a lot more selfish, shallower and sharper. We've been very good at being poor and being underdogs, a bit like our sporting teams. Maybe it's time to redress the balance."