About Causeway Volunteer Centre

Who can volunteer?

Anyone over 16 years of age!

Why volunteer?

Volunteering is a two-way process. As a volunteer you will have your own motivations and reasons for getting involved. A good volunteer-involving organisation will ask you about your motivations and try to meet your needs as well as its own. Through volunteering you can:

■ Have an improved quality of life

Volunteering is an excellent leisure activity. Most volunteers get great enjoyment from what they do – that’s why they keep doing it.

■ Meet new friends

The social side of volunteering should not be discounted. Getting involved with volunteering will allow you to meet lots of different kinds of people and make new friends.

■ Get Results

Volunteering can make a real difference to the lives of individuals, the community and the environment. As a volunteer you will get immense satisfaction at seeing the results of your hard work – that is what it’s all about after all.

■ Take a challenge

Getting involved in something new can be a real challenge. Volunteering can help you achieve personal goals, develop new skills and practice your talents.

■ Improve your health

Volunteering exercises both the mind and the body. You can escape from your daily routine and do something different - and that’s a tonic in itself!

■ Boost your career prospects

Volunteering contributes to personal development and it’s always a bonus on a CV. If you’re thinking of changing careers or starting a career, volunteering in your area of interest can be a great way to ‘test the waters’. It can also serve as a gradual way of re-entering the working world if you have been on leave.

■ Get vital experience to pursue a desired career

Some courses at universities and other academic institutions require entrants to have been employed or volunteered in a field associated with their desired course. This is particularly true for counselling and associated courses. Volunteering is a great way to fulfill this criteria.

■ Be part of something BIG

Volunteering can connect you to the community you live in and make you feel part of something outside your family or circle of friends.

Other services provided by the Causeway Volunteer Centre include..

Training

The Causeway Volunteer Centre offers a number of training opportunities for volunteers and host organisations throughout the year such as First Aid and Child Protection. We are constantly reviewing and devising new courses as the need arises.

Social events

‘Hanging out’ with other volunteers is a great opportunity for ‘shop’ talk and making friends with similar interests. The Causeway Volunteer Centre organises a number of events for registered volunteers and host organisations throughout the calendar year.

Quarterly newsletters

All volunteers and host organisations registered with the Centre receive a free copy of Voltalk for volunteers and InVOLve for host organisations. Each newsletter is packed with news and information such as grant opportunities, new volunteer placements, features on unique placements, Centre events, sector news and more.

Funding

It’s always high on any voluntary organisation’s agenda. The Causeway Volunteer Centre runs a small grants programme. We advertise these grants through the local press and our newsletters.

For more information contact us.