2001: United Nations International Year of Volunteers

Ideas and issues for consideration

Generated from a brainstorming session on 12 April 2000 and written submissions

In Dublin on 12 April, Carmichael House/Volunteer Resource Centre held a brainstorming on IYV 2001. The suggestions have been forwarded by the VRC for consideration by the Dept. of Social, Community and Family Affairs in the latter’s capacity as official focal point for the Year in Ireland.

Issues
· All types of volunteering and all kinds of volunteers must be recognised explicitly as being valuable
· The National Committee on Volunteering must be representative of all types of volunteer-involving organizations; large and small, national and local, different issues
· We can learn from the experience of other "Years of …", such as the 1999 United Nations Year of Older People
· A plan must be drawn up for events and actions from 5 December 2000, until 31 December 2001
· It is essential that a pro-volunteering legacy is left behind after 2001
· Activities must be spread out throughout 2001, and must not all be allowed to cluster around, for example, 5 December, which is International Volunteer Day
· We must ensure that the Year is not allowed to become too Dublin-based (for example, hold events in four major cities, and if large events are to be held in the capital, transport arrangements should be made for those attending from the country)
· Activities should not be limited to recognition events for current volunteers - they should be asked beforehand if they actually want such events and wish to be explicitly recognised as 'volunteers'
· An independent national office, with a freephone number, is essential
· Organisations are already very stretched and it must be made as easy as possible for them to recognise 2001in their locality - a centrally produced resource pack, which includes guidance on getting local media coverage, is therefore essential
· It would be excellent if each community and voluntary organization in the country would officially commit to achieving at least one thing relating to volunteering during the Year
· Business sponsorship, as well as government funding, should be encouraged to celebrate the Year in Ireland
· We must progress these ideas urgently - there are only 7 months left to the launch of the Year

Ideas
The four themes below are those identified by the United Nations. Whilst every effort has been made to allocate each idea to the 'correct' theme, please be aware that there is much overlap. Please also note that the ideas are not in any order of importance and that most ideas can be adapted for any scale (national, regional, local and organizational).

Enhanced recognition
· Day out/picnic in Phoenix/Croke Park for all volunteers
· Volunteers ball
· President inviting volunteers to Áras an Uachtaráin (cf Mary Robinson inviting overseas volunteers on 5 December and tea party for older persons in 1999)
· Volunteer medal or gold/silver/bronze lapel badges for years of service
· Reward 5 years of voluntary service on 5 December
· National volunteer appreciation day (ongoing past 2001)
· Government explicitly recognising the social and economic value of voluntary work
· Accreditation of volunteering
· Accreditation of training undertaken by volunteers and/or by people managing volunteers
· Campaign for gaining tax/PRSI credits for voluntary work
· Campaign for not requiring volunteers to be available for full-time paid work under the Voluntary Work Option
· Weekend of celebration
· Publicise stories from recipients of voluntary service
· Link in with UK Whitbread Volunteer of the Year awards
· Have a volunteer category in Person of the Year and Better Ireland awards in 2001
· Turn table once for fundraising volunteers and raise some funds to reward them
· Collage of volunteer photographs (eg on St Stephen's Green)
· Book of volunteer stories and volunteering anecdotes/facts and figures (needs research, eg can make use of poems about volunteers available on the world wide web)
· Book on history of volunteering (eg which services originated from volunteers and when, and which would not be here today were it not for volunteers)
· Media "thank you"s from government to volunteers
· Encourage the cabinet to meet in a local area and tie this in with a volunteering event/issue (cf Western Development Commission)
· Free concert (eg Lansdowne Road/Croke Park): Irish bands to volunteer to entertain other volunteers (eg U2, Boyzone, Westlife, Joe Dolan, Daniel O'Donnell)

Enhanced facilitation
· Need to define explicitly what volunteering is and the wide range of activities it includes
· Promote volunteering among target groups (older people, people with
disabilities, etc)
· Encouraging the general public to volunteer for one day in the year
· Volunteer recruitment fair eg in RDS
· Volunteer information/sign up days
· National Open Day at all voluntary organizations in the country
· Volunteering module for Transition Year students
· Volunteer awareness programme to tour schools and colleges
· Encourage Gaisce awards to focus more on volunteering
· Focus on the fact that everyone can volunteer, not just skilled people
· Encourage employers to support volunteering (eg give staff leave of absence to volunteer)
· Must focus on rewards to volunteers themselves in promotional materials
· Consider running BBC-style "Time Bank" events
· Encourage organizations to recruit volunteer organizers/coordinators, with a clear job description
· Yellow/Golden Pages of volunteering opportunities
· Free ads for voluntary organizations in newspapers (cf Guardian, Evening Standard)
· Encourage the development of local/regional volunteer bureaux throughout Ireland
· Partnership companies to recognise and support volunteers inputs and to deal with conflicts between paid staff and volunteers
· Annual register of volunteers
· Support organizations to develop and implement volunteer policies
· "How to volunteer"/" All about volunteering" packs for potential volunteers (suggested contents include: calendar, sticker, pin, facts and figures, appreciation leaflet, internet information, rights and responsibilities of volunteers, local information, etc)
· Research project into all aspects of volunteering, including why people don't volunteer
· Encourage government to establish a funding scheme to which organizations could apply to cover costs associated with recruiting, training and supporting of volunteers

Enhanced networking
· Group of Irish volunteers to go to the international launch of the Year in New York
· Group of Irish volunteers to go to Amsterdam conference in January 2001
· Creation of a national network/alliance of volunteer-involving organizations
· Link in with Volunteers Week in UK (June)
· Irish volunteers website linking all volunteer-involving organizations, with bulletin boards, chat rooms, information on volunteering opportunities, etc linked to UNV site
· Encourage delegates to wear "I'm a volunteer too" badges at major conferences
· National volunteering conference
· EU Summit on volunteering
· Calendar of events with monthly reminders focusing on a different part of the voluntary sector
· Join in global walk/swimming/dance events
· Exchange programmes with other countries for volunteer coordinators
· Exchange programmes of one year sabbaticals to work in a similar voluntary organization overseas
· Providing a public platform for voluntary work at a local level, by encouraging practical networking between groups and individuals, eg a day out for families with an information slot on volunteering
· Cross-border initiatives

Enhanced promotion
· Huge Irish launch of IYV 2001
· Design an Irish emblem for the Year
· Information stands on the Year around country
· Create a list of 2001 volunteering opportunities in Ireland
· Travelling road show with exhibitions and talks, including talks by current volunteers
· Awareness campaign (eg free postcard/poster/bill board campaign) directed at general public (cf Citizen Traveller)
· Use National Lottery to raise awareness of volunteering, eg slot at end of Lotto draw
· Features on voluntary work in guides to evening classes
· Features in Bank of Ireland Golden Years/Allied Irish Banks One-to-One publications
· Volunteer parade in Dublin on St Patrick's Day
· Page in school diaries on volunteering
· IYV 2001diary/calendar (cf Bank of Ireland 2000 calendar)
· Eircom call cards promoting IYV 2001
· Group to work on modernising the image and language of volunteering and defining the reality of it
· A badge which says "ask me about IYV 2001"
· Involve PR/Media students and professionals to raise profile of the Year
· RTÉ/TV3 to commission "a day in the life of" volunteering programme/series
· An Irish stamp for IYV 2001 and an An Post franking slogan (plus An Post sponsorship of all postage relating to IYV 2001 during the Year)
· Competitions (among school children etc) to design IYV 2001 car stickers, logo, posters etc
· Essay, art and photography competitions
· Huge, star studded televised benefit gig (cf Slovenia)
· Devote a Late Late Show to volunteering
· Radio, TV and similar promotions
· Series of talks and open fora on different aspects of volunteering in 21st century by key note speakers, with floor discussions and press coverage
· IYV 2001 song competition, with VIP performers
· News reports with updated figures each week of new volunteers
· Teletext and Cablelink pages for IYV 2001
· Make effective use of celebrities/VIPs to promote and endorse the year (eg patrons)
· Volunteer record books for 2001 in public places (cf visitors books) for people to note down thoughts/comments on volunteering
· Volunteer relay from each corner of Ireland passing on from each county statistics of volunteer power in that county, ending up at Leinster House

Contributors
Age Action Ireland, Kevin Powers
Age and Opportunity, Anne Pidgeon
Baldoyle Family Resource Centre, Frances Andrews
Blanchardstown Citizen's Information Centre, Siobhan Walsh
Carelocal, Paula McKone
Catholic Guides of Ireland, Margaret Agnew
Concern, Geraldine Holden
Children in Hospital Ireland, Cora Free
Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Beate Riehn
Interculture, Joan O'Reilly
Irish Lupus Support Group, Barbara O'Neill
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Ava Battles
Irish Wheelchair Association, Una Ruddock
Foroige, Aileen Brosnan
Galway County Association, Ann Donohue
Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, Eithne Frost
JVC - Jesuit Volunteers, Patricia Higgins
Galway Voluntary Social Services, Annie Berry
L'Arche Dublin, Sr Eileen
Mental Health Association of Ireland, Michael Nolan
National Social Service Board, Deirdre Kehoe
National Youth Federation, Ken Keogh
Oxfam Northern Ireland, Trevor Anderson
Simon Community, John-Paul Leavey
Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, Gerry McLaughlin
Social Services Centre, Alice O'Rourke
South West Inner City Network, Katie O'Donoghue
St Francis' Hospice, Doreen Willgoss
Tallaght Volunteer Bureau, Tricia Nolan
United Nations Volunteer Programme, (formerly) Bill Jackson
Viatores Christi, Charlie Flynn
Vincentian Refugee Centre, Brian Moore
Voluntary Service International, Tom Ryder
Volunteer Resource Centre, Carmichael Centre Anne Crowe/Sandra Velthuis

The Volunteer Resource Centre is a service of Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups - for further information on our work, please contact us.