Foroige man says fewer volunteering

The chairman of the National Council of Foroige, Mr Tom Coppinger, has said it was ironic in this UN Year of Volunteers that there should be evidence that volunteering was on the wane.

Speaking at the organisation's annual general meeting in Westport yesterday, he said: "The evidence, however, is not conclusive and we should be careful not to talk ourselves into a problem."

However, there was evidence that men were not coming forward to volunteer in Foroige clubs as they used to in the past, he said. He noted that at the end of the 1980s, the proportion of men and women who were leaders in Foroige was more or less equal at 50 per cent each. But by the end of the 1990s, the proportion was about 60/40 in favour of women. "One way we should mark the Year of Volunteers is by recruiting more men as voluntary leaders," he said.

Foroige's fundamental purpose was "to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their own development and in the development of society". Personal development in its true sense was virtually inextricable from community development.

Every young person had a right and an obligation to contribute to both, to become what they were capable of becoming and to put their mark upon the world. "This is why our organisation exists," he said.

He supported the UN statement that "at the beginning of the new millennium, voluntary action is now called for more than ever to meet human needs and solve problems in society".

He also said it was necessary to face up to the fact that not everybody was suited to being a voluntary youth leader "and we must recruit and retain only those who are suited to the job. The protection and well-being of the young people must be our first priority."

In that context he noted that Foroige had welcomed in general the Youth Bill 2000, currently going through the Dail. Foroige had some suggestions for amendments and hoped they would be considered favourably.