Staff:

Suzanne Thompson: Volunteer Coordinator

Opportunities:

You can be involved in Afterschools, youth work, café, admin, building maintenance. We already have a number of volunteers who are local or international. We will provide role specific training as well as offering opportunities for further vocational training. We aim that volunteering at Forthspring is a 2 way process where the volunteer both gives and receives through the experience.

Contact: volunteering@btconnect.com

About Volunteering

The Year of The Volunteer proved to be a busy one for all at Forthspring. The contribution of volunteers remains extremely important to the successful operation of all programmes. The number of hours given to Forthspring continued to rise and as a result we were successful in receiving CVS Small Grant funding for a second year. Volunteers from all programmes also received recognition for their contribution at a special West Belfast Year of the Volunteer awards ceremony which took place in June. This provided an opportunity to meet volunteers from other organisations and to share information about the work of Forthspring.

A major success in the programme this year has been a rise in the uptake of training. For some volunteers learning of any type can be challenging but the benefits both Forthspring and the Volunteer are clear. In the Community Café, eight volunteers and staff successfully completed accredited food hygiene training, with further training scheduled for the remaining volunteers in April 2006. Volunteers with the Afterschools and Youth programmes took part in ‘Keeping Safe’ child protection and for the first time were able to access OCN Level 2+3 Youth Work Training + Community Relations through Youthlink. A further group of local volunteers helped Belfast Institute develop an essential skills website and training programme.

As in previous years, Forthspring has provided placements for international volunteers- Timotheus Tannhauser and Volker Markowis, from IDJE Germany, Angie Miller from General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) and Kat Beirne from Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) and we would like to thank them for the considerable contribution they make.

Looking ahead, we are pleased that we will be able to offer the ASDAN Accredited Certificate in Community Volunteering- a ten week programme focusing on skills of volunteering including Communication. A pilot group, in partnership with the Vine Centre, North Belfast will begin in May 2006. Pending funding, we hope to offer the programme to our own volunteers and to others from local organisations at least twice a year. Potentially the qualification will serve as an effective recruitment tool and will strengthen our relationships with other volunteer involving organisations within the community. For volunteers it will provide recognition of their commitment and acknowledge the skills they have developed within their roles.

In closing we would like to pay tribute to the commitment of all volunteers in all programmes. It is getting no easier for individuals to make a commitment to volunteering. For younger volunteers there are the demands of study and seeking work, for others caring responsibilities take up time and some volunteers have been ill themselves during the year. Each hour given to Forthspring is valuable as it allows us to move forward with our vision. Whether a volunteer is able to give an hour, or a day they are contributing towards creating a community that works together for the future. Thank you for your continued efforts.