Greens launch plan to bolster voluntary sector

VOLUNTEERS could benefit from refundable tax credit, career breaks and academic accreditation under new proposals launched yesterday.

If elected, the Green Party has vowed to support, acknowledge and celebrate community and voluntary activity by offering a host of initiatives.

Launching its Supporting Volunteers - Building Stronger Communities campaign, it aims to lift the barriers to volunteering by offering incentives and recognition.

“Evidence suggests that voluntary engagement rates are lower amongst certain categories of our population than others,” said party spokesman for community and rural affairs Dan Boyle.

As well as incentives, the party proposes to expand local volunteer centres nationwide, offering better promotion of volunteering in educational programmes.

“The State has an important role to play in facilitating voluntary activity and creating an environment that promotes volunteerism,” said community volunteer and party representative Ted Lucky, who blames badly planned communities without proper amenities and suitable transport links as one reason for modern Ireland’s breakdown in community life.

“Although conditions to promote and support civic participation and community spirit span many policy areas, the Green Party feels that there is a need for a specific, coherent and strategic policy on volunteering, driven by a central Government department.”

Green Party Cork East General Election candidate Sarah Iremonger added: “We cannot afford to be complacent about the structures needed to protect the public, organisations and the volunteer.

“We are therefore proposing measures such as insurance liability and training supports, a code of practice to protect volunteers and vetting mechanisms for certain categories of voluntary activity.”