This newsletter contains information on:

• August focus on: Volunteering when under 18yo.
• Other New Volunteering Opportunities
• Upcoming Volunteer Expos – Save the date
• Community Volunteers
• Centre Pop-up at a library near you

August focus on: Volunteering when under 18yo.

Finding a volunteer role when you are not yet 18 may be more challenging as many organisations do not have the legally required safeguarding in place to welcome those young volunteers.

However, if you know where to look, there are still plenty of ways for young people to get involved!

Ways to get Involved:

• Charity Retail: Charity shops across Dublin regularly welcome young volunteers, providing comprehensive support and training for the volunteering role
• Outdoors & Community: Weekly parkrun events offer weekend roles for anyone over 16, while groups like Tidy Towns and community gardens welcome younger children alongside a parent or guardian.
• From Home: Teens can make a difference remotely by being a pen-pal volunteer and by crafting cards for people in isolation.
• Digital & social media: Non-profits are increasingly seeking tech-savvy volunteers to help manage social channels and create engaging content.

Some of the volunteer roles currently available on I-VOL:

Charity Retail: 

• Retail Community Champion- Skerries with Vision Ireland – the new name for NCBI (Over 16)
• Retail Community Champion- Malahide with Vision Ireland – the new name for NCBI (Over 16)
• Retail Community Champion – Thomas Street with Vision Ireland – the new name for NCBI (Over 16)
• Retail Volunteer in Vincent’s Finglas with Society of St.Vincent de Paul (SVP) (Over 16)

Outdoors & Community:

• Tidy Towns Volunteer- Blanchardstown with Blanchardstown Village Tidy Towns (No age restriction but under 16 needs to be with their guardian)
• Marshal/ Steward Hartstown with Hartstown parkrun (Over 16)
• Monthly Royal Canal Clean Up – 2nd Saturday every month. (D1, D7 & D15) with Royal Canal Clean-Up Group (No age restrictions)
• Marshal/ Steward Swords with Rivervalley Junior parkrun (Over 15)
• Tidy Towns Volunteer Swords with Swords Tidy Towns (No age restrictions but under 16 needs to be with their guardian)
• Marshal/ Steward-Balbriggan with Ardgillan parkrun (Over 15)
• Annual Fundraising Day Volunteer 24th Sep Lucan with Irish Wheelchair Assoc. – Lucan (Over 16)
• Basketball Coaching Support Volunteer Donabate with Donabate Portrane Special Olympics Sports Club (Over 16)

From Home: 

• Birthday Card Makers (Remote) with Fingal Volunteer Centre (No age restrictions)
• Autumn card writer – Griffeen Valley Nursing Home with Staying Connected (No age restrictions)
• Volunteer Citizen Scientist with Met Éireann (Over 15)
• Translator with Pathways Inclusive Services CLG (No age restrictions)

Digital & social media:

• Social Media Manager Dublin 1 & Remote with Hellenic Community Of Ireland (Fingal) (Over 16)

Structured Youth Programmes for Transition Years students

Many well-established charities (e.g., Irish Red Cross, St. Michael’s House, Ronald McDonald House Ireland, and Friends of the Elderly Ireland) run dedicated programmes tailored specifically for Transition Year students.

Other New Volunteering Opportunities

Here are some other new opportunities that have been posted this month on I-VOL:

• Board Member Rush with Rush Multipurpose Youth Facility CLG (Rush)
• Community Garden Volunteer for Cancer Survivors with Volunteer Ireland (Skerries, Dublin 1, Dublin 9)
• Arts & Crafts Activities Volunteer with Mowlam Nursing Home Rush (Rush)
• Meals on Wheels Volunteer Driver with Northside Home Care Services (Dublin 15)
• Community Activism Through Theatre with Unity In Community Overall (City Centre)
• Social Media Content Creator Volunteer with Irish Deaf Society Charity Shop (Remote)
• Soup Run part-time volunteer with Dublin Simon Community (City Centre)
• Volunteer Hairdresser / Barber (Various Locations around the country) with Depaul (Nation wide)
• Education Support Volunteer – Secondary School Maths Tutor with Orchard Fostering (Remote)
• Retail Volunteer (Saturdays) Finglas with Avista Foundation (Finglas)

Upcoming Volunteer Expos – Save the date  

Our local expos are back this October!

We will be there alongside community groups and organisations active in the Balbriggan and Dublin 15 areas.

Balbriggan Expo: Saturday, 3 October, 12:30–3:00 pm at Our Balbriggan Hub

Dublin 15 Expo: Saturday, 10 October, 12:30–3:15 pm at Blanchardstown Library

For now, just pop the dates in your calendar — we will share more details about both expos shortly.

Check our website for more details: Volunteer Expo

Community Volunteers 

Community Volunteers made the most of August by supporting vibrant outdoor events across Fingal. We kicked off the month with a garden clean-up for Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living (BCIL), followed by Blanchfest in Millennium Park, Dublin 15. August was wrapped up with a colourful fun run celebrating the 50 years of the Portmarnock Arch Club.

Here is what we have coming up in September:

• 3rd September: BCIL Garden Clean-up (Dublin 15)
• 26th & 27th September: Mental Health Ireland Fundraiser (Dublin 15)
• 27th September: Family Holistic Festival (Swords)

If you are already a Community Volunteers, check your profile for full event details and registration.

Please note that these events are only open to the Community Volunteers team. If you feel this is your kind of thing and would like to join the team, contact Ruth at info@volunteerfingal.ie to get your registration started!

Volunteer Centre Pop-up at a library near you 

Looking for something different?

Meet us at a library near you across Fingal to chat about your interests and receive guidance on suitable volunteer roles. Our Volunteer Centre Pop-ups provide a great opportunity to meet a member of our team in person, ask questions about volunteering, and receive personalised advice to help shape and support your volunteering journey.

No appointment is needed—just drop in and take the first step towards finding your ideal volunteer role!

Check out our website for the schedule of Pop-Ups happening this month and find one near you.