The crucial role of the volunteer in building and maintaining sustainable communities was recognised during the local event of VIT project held in Letterkenny, Ireland (19-20 November).
Donegal County Council, in conjunction with Donegal County Community Forum, East Donegal Community Forum and it’s partners in the VIT project (Very Important Twinning, Volunteering in Town) held a seminar on the importance of harnassing local resources in developing a sustainable community.
The seminar participants examined the role of the volunteer in developing the essential building blocks of a sustainable community, including international collaboration, volunteering, the need for social infrastructure, culture, enterprise and sport. The seminar has been hugely beneficial in allowing the community and voluntary sector, be they in traditional area based committee’s, specific interest groups or sporting clubs and societies, to learn from regional, national and international best practice on how to improve their local communities through the implementation of development initiatives.
The conference examined the central role that the volunteer plays in service provision, be they involved in tidy towns type activities, volunteering in a local charity shop, sitting on a school or naoinra committee, providing health services, developing community gardens or organizing cultural or sporting activities.
It is anticipated that the legacy of the this two day international event will be manifested in the work programme of the County Community Forum and other agency in recognizing the role of the volunteer in building and maintaining sustainable communities.
The VIT project led by the French partner ALDA, represented in Letterkenny by Per Vinther, past President and member of ALDA Govening Board, focuses on volunteering and democracy in an enlarged Europe. It aims at promoting volunteering in towns, addressing this issue from a participatory perspective. In particular, the project aims to create a platform involving different types of stakeholders for debate, action and reflection on how citizens may enhance governance in Europe.
The crucial role of the volunteer in building and maintaining sustainable communities was recognised during the local event of VIT project held in Letterkenny, Ireland (19-20 November).
Donegal County Council, in conjunction with Donegal County Community Forum, East Donegal Community Forum and it’s partners in the VIT project (Very Important Twinning, Volunteering in Town) held a seminar on the importance of harnassing local resources in developing a sustainable community.
The seminar participants examined the role of the volunteer in developing the essential building blocks of a sustainable community, including international collaboration, volunteering, the need for social infrastructure, culture, enterprise and sport. The seminar has been hugely beneficial in allowing the community and voluntary sector, be they in traditional area based committee’s, specific interest groups or sporting clubs and societies, to learn from regional, national and international best practice on how to improve their local communities through the implementation of development initiatives.
The conference examined the central role that the volunteer plays in service provision, be they involved in tidy towns type activities, volunteering in a local charity shop, sitting on a school or naoinra committee, providing health services, developing community gardens or organizing cultural or sporting activities.
It is anticipated that the legacy of the this two day international event will be manifested in the work programme of the County Community Forum and other agency in recognizing the role of the volunteer in building and maintaining sustainable communities.
The VIT project led by the French partner ALDA, represented in Letterkenny by Per Vinther, past President and member of ALDA Govening Board, focuses on volunteering and democracy in an enlarged Europe. It aims at promoting volunteering in towns, addressing this issue from a participatory perspective. In particular, the project aims to create a platform involving different types of stakeholders for debate, action and reflection on how citizens may enhance governance in Europe.