High levels of interest in volunteering among people newly arrived in Ireland
Census data released this month shows high levels of interest in volunteering among people newly arrived in Ireland and the and the importance of engaging a diverse group of volunteers reflective of our communities and creating more flexible ways for people to volunteer.
In Louth, 13% of the population or almost 17,900 people were volunteering in their community and various organisations in April 2022. Of these 8,682 were females and almost 9,200 males.
The most popular voluntary activity was in a sporting organisation, where just over 6,800 Louth people were volunteering. More than 5,200 people volunteered in their community while over 5,100 were involved in social or charitable organisations.
More than 3,600 people were volunteering in a religious or church group while there were 374 volunteers in political organisations. More than 2,500 people were volunteering in more than one group or activity.
The largest number of volunteers was among people aged 45-64 where there were 6,778 people but there were also more than 800 children (under 15 years old) and almost 2,100 people aged 15-24 volunteering.
Nationally, the data shows that volunteering levels are similar across ethnic groups, with 15.8% of ethnic minorities volunteering. While the Census data doesn’t distinguish between Irish ethnic minorities and ethnic minority migrants, we know that volunteering plays a huge role in integration of new arrivals.
Olivia Conlon, Louth Volunteer Centre Manager commented, “We see high levels of interest in volunteering from new people arriving in Ireland, for example people seeking protection and Ukrainians.
“Through volunteering, people can become active members of their new community, make friends, learn English and build their own local network. It’s important to remember that people making Ireland their home make a huge contribution to our communities.
“We know that many organisations are currently struggling to recruit volunteers and we’d encourage them to ensure that their volunteer programmes are open and inclusive to all members of the community. Small changes can make a big difference to attracting diverse volunteers. For example, covering a volunteer’s bus fare to travel to the organisation can make it possible for someone who is unemployed or living in direct provision to volunteer.”
Olivia explained, “volunteering has changed a lot over the last number of years. There are more ways to volunteer than ever before including shorter, more flexible roles. We’d encourage people to think about what time they have spare and even if it’s only an hour a week or a few days here and there, you’d be surprised at what’s available.
“Similarly, we encourage organisations to think about the roles they have and how they can make them more attractive to volunteers while still making a meaningful contribution to the organisation. Although it’s not possible for every role, we work with organisations to help them break down their roles into shorter, more task-based opportunities.”
Overall, the data showed consistent levels of volunteering in Ireland. When compared with similar data from the 2006 Census, the level of volunteering among those over the age of 15 is similar. The data also confirmed trends seen across Ireland in recent years with sport being the most popular activity and those over the age of 45 being more likely to volunteer.
