Volunteer Ireland, with our partners across the EU, are working to raise awareness about how volunteering can be used to prevent and alleviate the social isolation of young people, and to empower youth organisations and organisations involving young volunteers.
Based on research and our own observations, volunteering offers at least a partial solution to the problem. The project set out to achieve seven goals:
1. Greater awareness of the importance of volunteering in the prevention of social isolation in young people, and empowering youth organizations and organizations involving young volunteers.
2. To identify, collect, select and transfer innovative and effective practices, including digital volunteering, which can encourage young people and especially young people with fewer opportunities, to volunteer.
3. Identification and awareness of the needs of young people involved in volunteering activities and the need of volunteering amongst young people. Development of a methodology to prepare innovative volunteering programs and cooperative approaches, as well as quality standards in the coordination and mentoring of young volunteers.
4. Enhance the role of and empower national and regional volunteering centres/networks for professional support to youth and other CSOs in the preparation of new volunteering programs for and with young people.
5. Better understanding of the potential of volunteering as an opportunity for personal growth and development, gaining competencies, professional development, and maintaining and expanding a social network among young people.
6. Advocacy for youth volunteering and volunteering support for young people at a local, national and European level.
7. Raising awareness of the needs of young people and opportunities for their participation in volunteering.
The partners of this project: FriSe (Denmark), DKolektiv (Croatia), European Volunteer Centre (Belgium), Volunteer Ireland (Ireland), Slovenska Filantropija (Slovenia) and European Playwork Association (Germany) are all active in the areas of inclusive volunteering, youth volunteering and have experience engaging youth with fewer opportunities.
Hear from Volunteers here in Ireland about their experiences combatting loneliness.
