Over the last couple of weeks, as part of the Department for Communities programme, 'Sport - A Home for Life-long Volunteering', the Irish Football Association, Ulster GAA and Ulster Rugby have delivered 3 schools’ roadshows to Year 12 and Year 13 pupils from St Louise’s, St Ronan’s and Banbridge High Schools.
These 3 sessions were delivered to encourage young people to get involved in volunteering in sport.
Each of the sporting codes discussed some of the many volunteering opportunities, programmes and initiatives available to young people who wanted to get involved. Participants were given insights into some of the numerous benefits volunteering had to offer, such as getting recognition for their volunteering hours through the popular GoldMark programme, as well as learning new skills and gaining experience for future employment opportunities.
Other social benefits were promoted, such as meeting new people, improving mental health through volunteering by feeling less isolated, being more involved in community life and having fun.
The feedback we received to these sessions was extremely positive, with a 63% response rate.
- 100% of participants said they had learned something new about volunteering in sport and what volunteering could offer.
- 81% of participants told us they would like to get involved in volunteering.
- 95% said they really enjoyed the session and would like some more information about getting involved in volunteering in sport.