Hi  [firstname]  

Welcome to the May edition of our newsletter!

This month we are celebrating National Volunteering Week from Monday 15th to Sunday 21st May. National Volunteering Week involves a range of events and stories to showcase all that is great about volunteering.

Locally, we will hold our National Volunteering Week Volunteer Information Event on Monday 15 May.  The event is now fully booked, but please stay tuned to our social media platforms for lots of wonderful volunteer stories throughout the week!

In other news, Volunteers from our Community Volunteers and Citywest teams have once again been busy and helped at two events with Saggart Tidy Towns and South Dublin Partnership. Photos below from both events – well done to everyone involved!

Also, we are delighted to introduce three new members of staff who have joined our team.  Welcome to Aziz and Niss, who will be supporting volunteers at Citywest and to Sacha, who has joined our Organisational Support Team and will be working with local volunteer organisations.

As always, we have an update on some new volunteer opportunities available.  For full details of all current roles, please go to I-VOL here.

And don’t forget that further support and information is always available. Appointments online or at our Clondalkin or Tallaght offices can be made here.

Finally, a reminder that you can update any changes to your contact details here.  There are volunteer centres in every county in Ireland, and as a network we are here to help wherever you are!

We are delighted to welcome three new members to the team!

Abdiaziz Samatar  After volunteering for nine months in various volunteer roles in Ireland, including Community Volunteers, I am thrilled to join the Volunteer Centre as Volunteer Engagement Officer (Citywest). Due to the massive increase in displaced people arriving in Ireland in the past year – each of whom brings a range of skills and experience –  my role is to offer information and support to those who want to give back to the community through volunteering. I am passionate about volunteering and about extending volunteering opportunities to as many people as possible. I am delighted to be doing what I love in my favourite place.

Nissrin Amrani El Yaakoub  With a background in biomedical engineering I started volunteering almost a year ago with Community Volunteers at Citywest Refugee Transit Hub. The experience gave me an insight into how can I use my skills to work as part of a team to assist others. I am delighted to take up the role of Translator co-coordinator and Team Lead at Citywest Transit Hub where I will be supporting volunteers in all aspects of our programme at Citywest.  

Sasha Strevlova  Greetings everyone! I’m Sasha and, when I moved to Ireland a few years ago, I discovered that volunteering was the best way to become acquainted with Irish communities and their way of life. Volunteering allowed me to make many friends, gain confidence in my language skills, learn about the Irish concept of volunteering and giving back to society, and to experience the inner workings of various organisations while having a great time. I’m thrilled to say that this experience was life-changing for me. That’s why I’m extremely excited to be joining the team at South Dublin Volunteer Centre where I will be focusing on organization support and development. My responsibilities will include recruiting, managing, and supporting volunteers within our community.