COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, July 11, 2022

QUESTION NO. 15

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Exective if following the granting of the Freedom of the County to South Dublin Community Volunteers he will confirm plans to further support Volunteerism across the County. 

REPLY:

The richly deserved granting of the Freedom of the County to South Dublin Community Volunteers by the Council was a great way to recognise the unique and essential contributions of local volunteers to the recent challenges faced in relation to both the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.

The Council's Community Services team is dedicated to supporting community development, social inclusion and sports and recreation development throughout the County to provide an environment where all residents can belong, be included and participate.  

Many local community supports and services provided in the County are provided by volunteer led groups and organisations, supported by the Council.  In particular, the Council actively support and fund South Dublin County Volunteer Centre and the Public Participation Network in their respective roles promoting, encouraging and supporting volunteerism in the County.  The Council is represented on the board of South Dublin Volunteer Centre which is recognised as a highly innovative and successful volunteer support organisation within the national context and we will continue to work with them and other local stakeholders to enhance volunteer opportunities for all in our communities.

Community grants and other supports are provided (and will continue to be provided) to community and voluntary groups across the County on an ongoing basis to support community organisations working with older persons, environmental groups, youth groups, sports clubs, festival committees, tidy town groups along with many other volunteer activities.  There are also many programmes and events held locally to support and assist volunteerism through community wellbeing through our healthy county, health and wellbeing, social inclusion, age friendly, sports and recreation and general community development work, we will continue to work with the various statutory and voluntary organisations and agencies active in the County on the many projects, initiatives, campaigns and workshops in this regard.  Our sports teams focus much of their work on supporting volunteer sports clubs and groups with regular training, funding and advice as they build teh capacity of the many volunteer boards and club members who work tirelessly to develop their clubs and facilities.

The Council is also particularly conscious of the efforts of the many individuals and community organisations that work together on an ongoing basis to deliver and implement improvements in a sustainable and inclusive way in servicing the needs of their local communities which underpins the work programmes of the Council’s Community Development team in their engagement with the wide range of voluntary community committees and groups.  By supporting boards of management across the county the community team aims to provide useful and strategic support to the many volunteers giving time to provide governance oversight in community facilities.

The new Local Economic and Community Plan for the County that is currently being developed will acknowledge and plan to build on the range of actiosn and objectives outlined above to ensure that suppport for volunteerism is central to community development in South Dublin.