The theme and programme for National Volunteering Week 2021 (17th – 23rd May) is live with a focus this year on 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 Claire Carroll Volunteer Centre Manager, “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 hot bath, 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.”

National Volunteering Week is a time to recognise the contribution of volunteers to our communities and say thank you for all that they do.

“This is a weeklong celebration of volunteering and it’s our chance to say thank you to volunteers across the country. Ireland and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown 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”.

Volunteer Centres and Volunteer Ireland will be running free events for volunteers and volunteer managers across the week – we’ll be adding to this list in the coming weeks. We 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.