2005 is Year of the Volunteer

In 2004 the Chancellor Gordon Brown declared 2005 as the Year of the Volunteer.

What is your passion?

Ours is volunteering. The Year of the Volunteer is a UK wide celebration of volunteers and voluntary activity, coordinated in Northern Ireland by the Volunteer Development Agency.

We are working in partnership with government, volunteer bureaux, volunteer involving organisations, sector networks, business, funders and the media to promote the Year.

What are the aims of the Year?

Something that we all want. To:

• increase the number of volunteers
• open up more volunteering opportunities
• recognise the contribution of volunteers and raise the profile of their work.

How are the themes used?

The monthly themes are to help us focus the campaign around aspects of volunteering. The overarching theme is 'diversity' both in terms of the diverse range of people that volunteer and the diverse opportunities that volunteering offers. We are working with the
media to get stories about volunteers into the news.

Can any organisation get involved?

We thought you would never ask! The more organisations that support the Year, the bigger the impact. Getting involved is simple. For information contact the Volunteer Development Agency website or phone 028 9081 8334.

Show your support for the Year by promoting it and using the Year of the Volunteer branding, for example on publicity materials or publications. TO download logos go to www.volunteering-ni.org/yearofthevolunteer.asp

Have an event, or rebrand a planned one, to celebrate the Year hazel@volunteering-ni.org with details.

Register volunteering opportunities with your local volunteer bureau 0800 052 2212.

If you have a volunteering news story, email it to fidelma@volunteering-ni.org or share your volunteering story with BBC Northern Ireland at www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/volunteer