Ireland is a wonderful country; it is safe, friendly, English speaking, rich in heritage, history and culture. From vibrant, exciting cities to spectacular countryside – it’s a magical place to visit. It’s also a wonderful place to stay and immerse yourself doing meaningful volunteer work.

CTL Ireland is collaborating with a well-established organisations which organise preschool and aftershool activities as well as summer camps with local children. Programmes are designed by experienced staff and have been fine-tuned through years of experience and feedback from parents and camps participants. Volunteers assist staff in facilitating activities and in looking after the daily needs of the children, while providing them with a fun, safe and supportive environment. Volunteers will be match to the relevant project according to their skills and interests.

Volunteer Work

The main role of the volunteers is to assist project staff in running the activities with children and teenagers. Volunteers are expected to work around 5 to 7 hours per day. The activities depend on the type of project assigned to the volunteers:

- Playschools and Preschools

We collaborate with a non-profit making and community-oriented playschool in Cork city. This project offers a diversity of activities. During the school year, help is needed to run the After School Club and in the summer, volunteers can help with the summer camps. Volunteers assist experienced staff members in running activities with children aged 3 to 12 year old. Minimum commitment: 6 weeks

- Community Centres

Community centres run services such as as youth clubs, homework clubs, childcare, community garden etc. They are run by a team of experienced professionals supported by a large group of local volunteers. The project welcomes international who can get involved in various activities depending on their skills, interests and time of the year. Minimum commitment: 6 weeks

- Summer camps: Sports and Outdoor education

CTL collaborates with summer camps in different towns around the country. One of them offers outdoor education courses to children and young people, the majority of them are between 13 and 17 years old. Another one runs summer camps with a special focus on Sports, Health and Fitness. Minimum Commitment: 3 weeks.

Depending on the project, volunteers can help in a number of areas:

§  Assisting staff in carrying out activities with children young people:

o   Play games

o   Run sport activities

§  Helping staff with preparing activities

§  Helping with tidying up and cleaning 

Who are we looking for?

This projects are searching for friendly, energetic, outgoing, open-minded and team-focused people with previous experience working with children (2 reference letters are required) and a genuine interest in working with children and teenagers. Flexibility and reliability are other important skills. They must be over 18 when the project starts. Working with children can be very tiring, that’s why volunteers need to be self-motivated and full of energy! Volunteers joining the project should have at least an intermediate level of spoken English. All volunteers will need to have their criminal background checked.

Location

Projects are available in various towns including in county Tipperary, Kerry and Cork (we cannot guarantee specific locations).

Example of locations:

Clonmel town is a busy town that provides shopping and various services for people of the surrounding rural area. It has a population of about 18,000 people. It is located 2 ½ hours from the capital city Dublin and 1 ½ hours from Cork city. Clonmel is well served by bus and train services. The town is nestled in the Comeragh Mountains with the Knockmealdown Mountains to the South and legendary Slievenamon to the East. Hillwalking and cycling are popular local activities. There is always something happening in Clonmel, with frequent theatre, concerts, live music, art exhibitions and festivals.

Cork is Ireland’s second largest city. It is a vibrant and friendly place with a very lively city centre. There are many things to visit in the city including UCC campus or the English Market and many cultural events and festivals happening all throughout the year. The region around Cork is also worth exploring, with pretty coastal villages such as Kinsale and the impressive Wild Atlantic Way which runs along the coastline.