COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, January 15, 2018

QUESTION NO.11

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive to present an update on his continuing efforts to encourage volunteerism throughout the County; will he detail initiatives proposed in that regard and will he make a statement.

REPLY:

South Dublin County Council has a dedicated department which is committed to Community development, Social Inclusion and sports and recreation development throughout the county and works to provide an environment where all residents of the county have the opportunity to be included and take part.

South Dublin County Council recognises that many of the services, groups and organisations are provided by volunteers and in addition to our own staff supporting volunteers, the Council supports the work of South Dublin County Volunteer Centre and the South Dublin Public Participation Network in their work supporting and encouraging volunteerism.

The South Dublin Local Economic and Community Plan 2016-2021 (LECP) includes several actions to volunteerism.

In addition a range of community grants and other supports will be provided in 2018 to community and voluntary groups across the County, and this includes supporting community organisations working with older persons, environmental groups, youth groups, sports clubs, festival committees, tidy town groups etc.  The Community Endeavour Awards 2018 in its fourth year will be an acknowledgement of the work carried out by volunteers throughout the year.

There are also many events held annually to support and assist volunteerism through community wellbeing and by bringing a number of statutory agencies and community groups together such as the work of the Healthy County Interagency Steering Group, Social Inclusion Week, Health and Wellbeing Week, Bealtaine, Play Day and our Sports Disability programme.

The Council will continue to work throughout 2018 with many other organisations and agencies active in the county who also support and encourage volunteerism on an ongoing basis through many projects, initiatives, campaign, workshops etc. 

We are represented on the Board of Management of SDC Volunteers Bureau and provide advice, support and assistance to the Management of the Volunteer Centre, including annual funding.

We are partners with the SDCVC on the establishment and management of the South Dublin Volunteer Corp and also provide some funding assistance to the administration and support of the Corp.

We recognise the hard work, efforts and achievement of volunteerism right through the Community and Voluntary sector as the bedrock of a lot of out groups within our Community Endeavour Awards and indeed have a Category/Award of ‘Volunteer of the Year’

While of course we support and encourage active volunteerism throughout the County what is core to the workplan of the Community teams is to work with a huge and wide range of voluntary community committees and groups.