Last week was National Volunteering Week. Over the course of the week, we sent one of our staff members around to speak with our young people and staff, to get a sense of their understanding of volunteering in Citywise.
So, we here at Citywise Education, have a long history of volunteers helping to contribute to the running and maintaining of our organisation. They are essentially the backbone of Citywise and without them we would not be able to do half the work that we undertake to try and give the children in the community a fun and engaging place to come to learn and make friends.
The great thing about Citywise is that it is a constant cycle of children coming in to groups, growing up through our organisation and then we get those few who reach a certain age and want to help give back and keep the cycle going for the youth the way it was done for them. Anyone can be a volunteer in Citywise and we are always open to having as many as we can possibly get to help out (the more the merrier comes to mind here, and that really is the case when you see the buzz and atmosphere in the place when we have a full camp and a full batch of volunteers helping out).
These volunteers that come in to Citywise really impact anything that we do with their positive attitudes, their abilities to adapt to situations and to think on the spot to make sure things go as smooth as possible. They really do the word justice and will always be available to lend a helping hand to anyone that asks and give up their own free time to ensure that the children can have a fun activity or camp. They are great role models for the children as a lot of them came through this place as children so they know what they needed in a volunteer as a child and so they have taken on these attributes and are able to be even better than those who came before them and help mould the children into becoming volunteers and leaders when they become old enough to.
Our team of volunteers help in all aspects of Citywise life. From teaching classes, to helping deliver after-school programmes, to maintaining our building and grounds, to helping out in the café. From all the staff and members in Citywise, we would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers!!! We could not do the work we do without you all. Never underestimate the impact your volunteering has on our staff, members, and the entire community of West Tallaght.
If you are interested in volunteering with Citywise, please contact info@citywise.ie, or drop into the centre and speak to one of our staff.