Profile of Volunteers

New figures released today by Volunteer Centres Ireland (VCI), show that, in the first half of this year, the recession continues to have a huge impact on the numbers of people registering to volunteer. Furthermore the profile of volunteers registering with volunteer centres has changed significantly since the recession. 

 

The new type of volunteer registering with volunteer centres tend to be highly skilled with considerable time on their hands. Volunteer Centres are under pressure to find ‘meatier roles’ for volunteers were they can hone their skills and keep busy and active. Dr Yvonne McKenna, CEO of Volunteer Centres Ireland explained that ‘while volunteering cannot help the unemployment problem in Ireland, it does have a proven positive impact on the wellbeing of the unemployed and can help prevent some of the harmful effects of long-term unemployment. To this end, Volunteer Centres Ireland and its members are seeking cross-departmental support to help them meet the needs of the unemployed or under employed volunteers’.

 

Volunteer centres have seen a massive 72% increase in volunteering since the onslaught of the recession and this shows no sign of dissipating. The figures released today show that ‘recently made redundant’ is now one of the top ten reasons people are volunteering, while ‘free time’ and ‘to gain work experience’ are the second and third most popular reasons to volunteer, respectively. More than half the volunteers who registered as unemployed or recently made redundant were aged under 35, while 70% had never volunteered before.

 

For more information about the changing profile of volunteers registering with volunteer centres please contact Eva Early on 087 22 22 216 or at eva@volunteer.ie