National News

Volunteer Ireland has arrived!!

Volunteer Centres Ireland and Volunteering Ireland have now merged to create Volunteer Ireland , a single national volunteering organisation for Ireland.

The services and supports for volunteering previously offered by two organisations will now be delivered by one: from the Ireland InVOLved Awards to the National Day of Volunteering.

The creation of Volunteer Ireland is great news for volunteering in Ireland. The focus of Volunteer Ireland will be to create an enabling environment for volunteering, to develop an ethos of volunteerism across all sectors of society and to be an independent and legitimate voice for volunteering.

Working with our local Volunteer Centres, volunteer-involving organisations and volunteers, Volunteer Ireland will be a powerful advocate for volunteering in Ireland.

Good News!!!

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Today, Pat Carey T.D., Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs welcomed measures introduced yesterday in the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010 by the Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern T.D.

These new provisions will provide protection from liability for persons described as 'good samaritans', who act in good faith, without expectation of payment or reward and in a way that does not constitute gross negligence, to provide assis...tance, advice or care during an accident or emergency. Protection is also being provided from liability for persons involved in voluntary work for charitable or other purposes for the benefit of society, including sports, recreation and rescue.
Speaking today, Minister Carey said:
"I welcome these new provisions which will help protect volunteers and good Samaritans from incurring liability while engaged in charitable works or assisting others in good faith. It is essential that those who give of their time to help others in a selfless and voluntary manner do not fear legal repercussions. In the current climate, it is vital that we encourage active citizenship and volunteering and protect those that partake in such activities. In addition to these provisions, I recently commenced further sections of the Charities Act 2009, which will help to safeguard the position of those charity trustees who fulfil their duties with integrity, but who still may be liable for court proceedings".
Minister Carey concluded:
"Promoting volunteering and active citizenship is a policy area which needs to be addressed and strengthened. I believe these provisions will support this aim and will contribute to the Government's objective of a society which is inclusive, energised and which continues to place a focus on high levels of community engagement."

Sharp rise in Volunteering

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The European Commission has selected the official logo and slogan for the European Year of Volunteering 2011!

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The 20 short-listed logos and slogans from the Let’s Slogo competition had been submitted in November to the European Commission, which, with the help of a high level panel composed of representatives of European institutions, civil society and media professionals, did the final selection.

The official logo will take Image No.463 as a basis, and the slogan will be ’Volunteer! Make a difference’. Both will be graphically/linguistically adapted before dissemination to a wider public in relation to the promotion of the Year.

The winners will be invited to the official Media Launch of the European Year 2011 in Brussels at the beginning of December 2010.

This was a tough competition, with more than twenty high-quality entries for the logo reaching the final selection phase.

The slogan will be translated into the official languages of the EU, linguistically adapted where necessary to retain the spirit and message of the English original.

It was a huge success, as can be seen by the high quality of the designs and slogan suggestions that were submitted.

New Guide launched for Community Groups to assist them to strategically partner with businesses

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On Monday, May 17th, Pat Carey T.D., Minister at the Department of Community, Equality And Rural Affairs launched an innovative new guide entitled, “Communities and Business Working Together” at an event in the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin. The guide, published by non profit organisation Business in the Community Ireland and sponsored by Diageo Ireland and Ulster Bank, aims to help community and voluntary groups work with businesses in Ireland to achieve sustainable community development.

A key objective of the guide is to persuade community and voluntary groups to interpret their needs in terms of business skills, manpower and volunteering time rather than cash. The guide also provides a step by step process that community and voluntary groups can adopt when approaching businesses.

“I congratulate Business in the Community Ireland, Diageo Ireland and Ulster Bank on the publication of this guide as it should be an invaluable resource to the community and voluntary sector. Irish companies can have a major impact on our country’s society and there is a multitude of skills and expertise available out there which can be tapped into. The essential ingredient to success is that businesses and community groups develop long term partnerships and this really can result in huge benefits for both”, said Minister Pat Carey.

At today’s event, staff from Diageo Ireland and Ulster Bank spoke about their experiences of working with the community sector and the benefits they themselves experienced due to the partnership. The community partners also spoke about the benefits of engaging with such high profile companies.