Get involved
Make a difference and Stay involved with EIL
Volunteering in a project is often just the first step in getting involved in global issues such as poverty, HIV&AIDS and global justice.As a returned volunteer, you’ve got a lot of valuable insight and experience so why not take advantage of this by continuing your volunteer work in Ireland.
If you are concerned about the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live, and you want to make a difference you are welcome to get involved even if you haven't participated in our programmes. Contact us to join the EIL Network and get active in public engagements. Volunteer with us and find out what you can do here in Ireland to make a difference!
Welcome Back Day
The Welcome Back weekend is a chance to celebrate the return of all the volunteers, meet with other EIL Network members and have fun together! It also offers you an opportunity to reflect on your experience of volunteering overseas and share it with other volunteers as well as exploring what you can do here in Ireland to make a difference. The Welcome Back weekend will be held on the 21st and 22nd of September 2013 in Dublin. For further details contact Niamh at niamh@eilireland.org or 021 4551535.
Get involved with EIL
Whether you completed your overseas placement months ago or decades ago there is a role for you to get involved with EIL!
Be part of the EIL National Network
If you are enthusiastic, with a passion to create change and make a difference, you will love being part of the EIL Network. You will get connected to other returned volunteers who are living in Ireland and you will receive regular updates on EIL travel opportunities, events and actions to take on global issues.
Twice a year, Network members and staff meet for workshops and activities on global issues and lots of fun at the EIL Network Weekends. Please make sure we can reach you. If you haven’t heard from us in a while, please send current contact information at info@eilireland.org.
Be part of EIL Local Networks in Dublin or Cork
Would you like to help us to organise some events to raise awareness on Poverty, HIV&AIDS or global justice? You can join the local volunteer networks in Cork and Dublin. We meet 4/5 times a year for a couple of hours and plan the activities and events we want to organise. According to each person’s schedule and skills the networks work in subgroups to organise these events.
Volunteer with EIL
As a returned volunteer, you’ve got a lot of valuable insight and experience. With your help, we can raise awareness of poverty, HIV&AIDS and global justice and promote real change. Bring your spirit of co-operation, your skills and talents and let us know if you would like to be involved in any of these activities:
- Sharing your experience at Pre-departure Workshops or Volunteer Abroad open Day Events.
- Helping to organise and facilitate workshops and other EIL events (public talks, pre-departure workshops, welcome back day for returned volunteers, network weekends).
- Mentoring new volunteers: outgoing volunteers are in search of Returned Volunteers to help answer their questions about living and volunteering overseas.
- Contributing to our newsletter.
- Being an active part of the Development Education Committee.
Spread the word
Join EIL on Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Youtube and Twitter to post your comments, photos and videos.
If you want to know more or if there is any other way that you would like to get involved with EIL feel free to email us, and let us know. We'd love to hear from you with all your great ideas and suggestions. Thanks for making a difference!
Contact: Niamh at niamh@eilireland.org or call 021 4551535.
Development Education Committee
If you have a volunteer experience and you have an interest in global issues, join the EIL Development Education Committee. The committee meets up four times a year and it is a key support for the implementation of the development education programme. It also ensures that the programme is owned by and relevant to EIL members. You don’t need to be expert on global issues you only need the enthusiasm and commitment! Get to know the members of the committe.
To know more contact Niamh at niamh@eilireland.org or call us at 021 4551535
Take action in your community
The lives of the world’s most disadvantaged people are being affected by the policies of our governments, the actions of our companies and the products we choose to buy. As a volunteer you worked and lived alongside local communities in some of the most deprived areas in the world.
Use your voice and your power as a returned volunteer, citizen and consumer to help build a more just world!
Share your experience
Change the way that your friends, neighbours and colleagues think about development. Use your skills and talents and create events to inform and educate the public on global issues such as poverty, social justice and HIV&AIDS:
- Visit schools and share your experience: speak about the project you worked in, the community in which you lived, the social issues you were confronted with, the diverse culture.
- Talk to the media: write to the local and national newspapers to raise concerning issues or share your volunteer experience
- Organise a photo exhibition at your university or in your community centre
- Run a quiz in a Pub on a special topic (i.e. HIV&AIDS, Trade)
- Organize a film showing and debate at your university or workplace
EIL can support you in the preparation of events and provide you with suggestions of useful resources. Contact Niamh at niamh@eilireland.org or call 021 4551535.
Volunteer in Ireland
Get involved in projects that fight against poverty, HIV&AIDS or social injustice in Ireland. There are a large number of groups in Ireland that work for development with a global perspective. Below are some links to volunteer opportunities in Ireland.
Open Heart House - HIV Positive (HIV+) member-led organization with a mission to empower and enhance the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Find other opportunities for volunteering in Ireland on:
- Activelink - The online network for Irish non profit organisations.
- Volunteer.ie - Volunteer Ireland is the National volunteer development agency. It supports and enables the development of a volunteering infrastructure, especially through local volunteer centres through Ireland, and developes and promotes best practice volunteering.
Join National and International Campaigns
Campaigning is used to bring about change. This can be on a local, national or global scale. Famous campaigns you may have heard of include: the Anti-Apartheid campaign which stopped racial segregation in South Africa and Martin Luther-King's American civil rights movement.
While these campaigns changed the way whole countries worked, most campaigns happen on a much smaller scale within schools, communities and towns. No matter what your age or background you have the potential to change things for the better. EIL encourages volunteers to get involved in local, national and international campaigns.
You can find here some info on campaigns:
- Comhlamh's campaigns section
- Oxfam's campaigns
- Activelink - The online network for Irish non profit organisations.
Change your life style
Buy Fairtrade and community trade products and be an aware consumer.
Find out about the products you buy, the holidays you take and the services you use - were the workers given a decent wage, do they have rights, what about the impact on the environment?
Find here more information
- FairTrade Mark Ireland - Fairtrade Mark Ireland awards a consumer label, the FAIRTRADE Mark, to products which meet internationally recognised standards of Fairtrade.
- Ethical Consumer - a consumer organisation which researches the social and enviromental records of companies.
- Ethicscore - Ethical Consumer's online shoppers guide.
Keep yourself informed about world development issues
You can continue to learn and be challenged by learning about your former host country after you return home. This new information can bring a new perspective to your experiences and enhance the information you share with others.
- Keep your eyes open for lectures, seminars or conferences that focus on the region or issue most prevalent in your volunteer experience, or those which examine development, inequality and interculturalism.
- Log onto TalkAboutDevelopment.org where you can interact with other people with a passion for development and share your experiences and channel your learning