Westmeath Volunteer Centre Newsletter - August 2010

Hello and welcome to Westmeath Volunteer Centre’s August Newsletter bringing you news on Volunteering in Westmeath.

In This Issue:

• Volunteering Expo’s – September – Showcase Your Organisation! 
• Urgent Need for Help - Focus Ireland 
• Urgent Need for Help – Irish Friends of Pakistan 
• Volunteer Management Training 
• Volunteering in the media 
• National Day of Volunteering 
• Our Volunteer Opportunities

15^th Sept 2010 Sheraton Hotel, Athlone and 22^nd Sept 2010 Bloomfield house Hotel, Mullingar

Westmeath Volunteer Centre would like to invite all not for profit groups to our Volunteer Expo this September.

We will be having two Expos in Westmeath, the first in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone and the second in Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar this September.

The Expo is been held to advertise to people who would like to become volunteers but who may not know exactly where or how to go about it.

The Expo is free to all and in the past has been a major success and beneficial to all who attended, both as a volunteer group and as a potential volunteer.

This event will also mark the 2010 National Day of Volunteers which will be on the 1^stOctober 2010.

For Organisations:

The Volunteer Expo is a great opportunity for:

• Your organisation to showcase your volunteer opportunities.
• Let their community know about the work you do.
• Network with other organisations
• Get to know the Volunteer Centre and develop new opportunities.

For Volunteers:

• This is a great opportunity for potential volunteers to find out about the local volunteer organisations and the type of volunteer jobs that are available.
• Our Volunteer Expos will be held on the afternoon of the abovedates. Come alongand find out about different types of volunteer jobs offered by local organisationsthat fit your lifestyle, match your passions and utilise your skills.
• Whether you're already volunteering or just starting out, speak directly to a variety of organisations in an informal, no-obligation environment, and enjoy the information stall, refreshments, entertainment and free entry!

Book a table at the 2010 Expo

 There will be tables and chairs to set up for all organisations, includes a table andtwo chairs.
There are limited spaces available, so please let us know if you are interested in reserving a space as soon as possible.

Focus Ireland

Focus Ireland, are urgently looking for volunteers to work with them in Westmeath.

The aim of Focus Ireland isto advance the right of people-out-of-home to live in a place they call home through quality services, research, and advocacy.

Currently they have three main opportunities that need to be filled and we hope that you may be interested in them. If you have any questions about these opportunities, please contact us and we will get you more info.

Here are the Opportunities:

Key to a Home Volunteer Co-ordinator

Key To A Home - Help people who are homeless in from the cold this winter. The Focus Ireland ˜Key to a Home” collection is taking place on 19th, 20th and 21st November. This is the second Focus Ireland Flag Day, where people all over the country will be selling/buying key rings to raise money for homelessness.

Overall Responsibility

· To help grow the Key to a Home Collection in your designated area

· Recruit volunteers for the weekend of the Key to Home Collection in your designated area

· To book collection locations and organise permits

For more info on this opportunity, Click here.

School Visit Ambassador

Key To A Home - Help people who are homeless in from the cold this winter. The Focus Ireland ˜Key to a Home” collection is taking place on 19th, 20th and 21st November. This is the second Focus Ireland Flag Day, where people all over the country will be selling/buying key rings to raise money for homelessness.

Overall Responsibility

• To deliver schools visits ( 1-4 visits a week)
• Educate students on the issues of homelessness
• Encourage students to volunteer for the weekend of the Key to Home Collection.

For more info on this opportunity, Click here

School Visit Coordinator

Key To A Home - Help people who are homeless in from the cold this winter. The Focus Ireland Key to a Home collection is taking place on 19th, 20th and 21st November. This is the second Focus Ireland Flag Day, where people all over the country will be selling/buying key rings to raise money for homelessness.

Overall Responsibility

• To phone secondary schools and schedule in school visits
• To liaise with school visit ambassadors and communicate their schedules.
• To help grow support for the Key to a Home Collection in Dublin Schools
• Encourage students to volunteer for the weekend of the Key to Home Campaign.

For more info on this opportunity, Click Here

The Irish Friends of Pakistan will be doing a street collection to raise funds to supply those affected by the horrendous flooding in Pakistan and any help would be fantastic.

If you have any free time on this date, can you let us know?

Also, if you have any friends that can help too, that would be great.

As you know the flood situation is getting worse in Pakistan.
We have decided toraise money locally and then get a few Pre-fabricated units (orinflatable tents), itcan help establish a basic health centre/ First Aid centre in the affected areas of Pakistan.

About Irish Friends of Pakistan: The former Mayor of Mullingar, Cllr. Ruth Illingworth is the Chairperson (I'm the secretary). June Kelly is the Hon. Treasurer.

With your help all the funds raised would be usedto help with the relief efforts in wake of the worst floods in Pakistan's history.

The website: http://www.irishfriendsofpakistan.com/ 

 will be kept up to date with information e.g. money collected so far, which projects are we working on as well as a breakdown of the money spent.

Conservative estimates put the figure betwen 1,600 to 2,000 people have died in the heavy monsoon rains, and at least 14 million have been badly affected.

The figure is more than the combined total of those affected by the 2004Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

All people associated with Irish Friends of Pakistan are volunteers. Would you be able to volunteer for this cause? If you would like to help, please email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Westmeath Volunteer Centrestaff have been trained - accredited through Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCNNI) - to deliver the VCI National Volunteer Management Training Programme.

The programme consists of four half-day modulesdelivered in a hands-on, participative style and is designed to provide you with a Best Practice Volunteer Management Framework for involving volunteers in your organisation.

Topics include:

• Module 1:Planning for Volunteer Involvement and DevelopingVolunteer Role Descriptions

• Module 2:Volunteer Recruitment, Selection and Induction

• Module 3:Volunteer Support and Supervision

• Module 4:Designing and Implementing a Volunteer Policy

 The training is offered at a low cost to participants. Itis expected that participants will attend all four modules as they are designed as part of a continuum.Please check the calendar below to find a schedule of training offered.

If you find a suitable date and location please contact the Volunteer Centre and we will give you further information.

Quote:" We would love to have training in this field for two other members of staff, the training was so beneficial and practical I feel every organisation working with volunteers would benefit greatly from this training."

If you or your organisation are interested in doing VMT training, please contact us here at the volunteer centre.

Kathy Donaghy on RTÉ news at 9 reports that, despite the recession, it seems more people than ever are keen to plant a little hope in their communities. Also an interview with Yvonne McKenna, CEO of Volunteer Centres Ireland.

Or Click Here

Now you can connect with the Westmeath Volunteer Centre via Facebook.

Most of our new opportunities and news will appear from our website (Which is also Facebook enabled!)

The aim of the National Day of Volunteering is to encourage everyone in Ireland to give volunteering a go, to show that – even if it’s only for a minute, an hour, a day – volunteering can make a big difference and be a lot of fun! This year, the National Day of Volunteering will take place on Friday, 1st of October.

There are lots of ways you can get involved: you can register to take part in a project already happening, register a project yourself, commit a ’random act of volunteering’ or simply take the opportunity to thank a volunteer. You’ll find a host of helpful guides and tools to help you here on our website or you can contact us with any queries too.

Why get involved? Because volunteering is good for you! Volunteering has a proven positive impact on volunteers, those they volunteer with and society in general. Together, we can build stronger neighbourhoods, stronger communities, a stronger Ireland!

Need Inspiration?

Would you like to take part in the National day of Volunteering but you are not sure where to start? We’ve created a series of downloads to show you what others have done for the National Day of Volunteering in the past. You can browse the opportunities by theme.