The programme for National Volunteering Week 2021 (May 17 to 23 ) was launched this week with events to take place across the country under the theme 'Small Actions, Big Impact'.
National Volunteering Week celebrates the immense impact of volunteers throughout the country, inspiring others to volunteer along the way. The week will be a showcase of small ways people can make a difference, both to their local community and their own wellbeing.
According to Lesley Moore, Manager at Mayo Volunteer Centre: "This National Volunteering Week, we’re asking people to think small! Whether it’s an action you can take to support your community, like picking up litter, or doing something for yourself, like meditation or enjoying a long walk; even the smallest acts can have a big impact. The last year has been hard on us all but there are small things we can do for ourselves, and for each other, that make a big difference."
The programme of events, run by Volunteer Ireland and the network of Volunteer Centres, will take place across the week. The programme of events for Mayo Volunteer Centre is shaping up and will include sessions on minding your mental health, building a positive mindset, coping with remote working and volunteering and how to enjoy Irish biodiversity. They will also be running a short workshop on how to get the best out of Zoom, now that it is part of our lives.
National Volunteering Week is a time to recognise the contribution of volunteers to our communities and say thank you for all that they do, Lesley continued, adding: "This is a week-long celebration of volunteering and it’s our chance to say thank you to volunteers across the country. Mayo would be a much different place if it weren’t for the wonderful volunteers who give their time each year. This has never been more obvious than throughout the pandemic.
"We want to say thank you to each and every volunteer for everything that they do, inspire others to do the same and encourage volunteers to join an event and take a moment to step back and recognise the positive impact they have."
The events calendar will be published on www.volunteermayo.ie and on www.facebook.com/mayovolunteercentre Keep an eye out for updates. Volunteers and volunteer managers are encouraged to sign up for the free events across the week.
They are also inviting organisations to think about how they can thank their volunteers with lots of ideas to get started on the Volunteer Ireland website www.volunteer.ie
