Millennium Volunteers Delivery Partners Announced

Millennium Volunteers is a UK wide initiative designed to promote and recognise sustained volunteering among young people aged 16 to 24. Grants totalling £750,000 were available from the Department of Education and will be administered by the Volunteer Development Agency, for organisations to support young volunteers.

The new delivery partners are; Blackie Community Groups Association, Corrymeela Community, Down District Volunteer Centre, Headliners (Foyle Bureau), Loughshore Youth Forum, North Down YMCA, Off the Streets Initiative, Rethink, Royal Mencap Society, Southern Education and Library Board, Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster and Youth Action Northern Ireland.

As well as contributing to the overarching aim of increasing opportunities for youth volunteering in Northern Ireland, the delivery partners will be responsible for recruiting and matching volunteers to new or existing opportunities and supporting groups of young people wishing to set up and manage their own projects, either within their own organisation or by way of facilitating an independent group of young people who identify and carry out their own challenges

The Millennium Volunteers Programme was launched in Northern Ireland in 1999 and has so far offered opportunities for more than 4,000 young people to gain their ‘Awards of Excellence’, which are awarded for 200 hours volunteering. The Programme aims to offer challenges and opportunities for young people to participate, learn and develop; set a standard for volunteering opportunities for young people in Northern Ireland; increase recognition for volunteering as an expression of citizenship; encourage ownership of the programme by young people and make a positive impact within local communities.

If you are interested in participating in the Millennium Volunteers Programme go to www.volunteering-ni.org where you will find the contact details of all the delivery partners.