We recently completed a week of work experience at Localise Youth Volunteering, and this is what we got up to during our time there.
On our first day, we were introduced to the Localise team, who explained what the organisation does and the impact it has in local communities. They shared their vision of making youth volunteering more normal and recognised as a pathway to education and employment. We also learned about upcoming projects, including events planned for Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and Easter. We helped by sorting decorations, art supplies and costumes and brought them to the (spooky) Localise storage unit.
On our second day, we learned about the different projects Localise runs with secondary schools. We visited Mount Carmel Secondary School and joined a TY class, where students spoke about their project to spend a day volunteering in their local nursing home. After returning to the Localise office, we began creating a quiz for an upcoming visit to Leo Street.
Our third day involved a trip to the Make-A-Wish office in Leopardstown Business Centre, where we collected six bags of spare toys left over from Christmas. We delivered these to Respond Housing Association to be used in their playroom for families experiencing homelessness. Afterwards, we returned to the Localise office and finished preparing our quiz for Leo Street. The quiz included five rounds – music, history, geography, entertainment and a “guess the song” round – with six questions in each. We really enjoyed creating the quiz and were excited for the visit.
On the fourth day, we went shopping to buy food and drinks for a meeting Localise was hosting with AsIAm, Autism Charity Ireland. We picked up crisps, flavoured water and grapes. Later that day, we visited Leo Street to spend time with the older people there. We ran our quiz, which everyone really enjoyed, and then taught them how to play Uno and joined in for a few games. It was very interesting getting to know the older people in Leo Street, most of them live on their own. It really hit home how important a service like this is for older people.
On our final day, we went back to Leo Street to build on the relationships we had already formed. We spent more time chatting, playing Uno and enjoying each other’s company. It was nice to feel more comfortable and to see how even small activities can make a big difference when it comes to connection and community. To cap the whole experience off we got to go to get the best chicken wings in all of Dublin!!!
Overall, our work experience at Localise was really enjoyable and rewarding. We learned how important youth-centred volunteering is, as it gives young people a voice, real responsibility and the chance to make a meaningful impact in their own communities. We saw how volunteering benefits not only the people being supported, but also young volunteers by helping them build confidence, teamwork, communication skills and empathy.
We also learned about MyVP, the volunteering portfolio, and how it helps young people record and recognise their volunteering experiences. Having a portfolio like MyVP shows that volunteering is valuable and can be used to support future education, training and employment opportunities.
This week gave us a better understanding of community work, social responsibility and how organisations like Localise help connect young people with purposeful volunteering opportunities. It has shown us that volunteering can be fun, social and genuinely impactful.
Nicole & Emma
Stories from across the Localise community.
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