Laois County Council have launched a Youth Volunteers Scheme aimed at people aged 18-25 who cannot get a job this summer.
Due to Covid19, this summer of 2020 has provided restricted work opportunities to college students during their college breaks.
Therefore this summer has provided fewer opportunities to students to further develop and demonstrate interpersonal and workplace skills.
For those students without summer jobs, Summer 2020 risks being a gap within their CVs.
The initiative will be managed and co-ordinated jointly by
Laois County Council, Laois Partnership Company and LOETB.
Laois County Council say: “We will increase by 20% this year’s annual grant to individual Tidy Towns groups who engage at least 5 new student Volunteers in the 18-25 age group for the purposes of this initiative. Some discretion may apply on numbers engaged, subject to local circumstances, with the size of the Group a determining factor.
“We will increase by 20% this year’s annual grant to individual Cemetery Committees who engage at least 5 new student Volunteers in the 18-25 age group for the purposes of this initiative. Some discretion may apply on numbers engaged, subject to local circumstances with the size of the Group a determining factor.
“We will also create a prize fund (bursary fund) of €2,500 for Research and Creative projects and for “Young Volunteer of the Summer” as follows: (a) Individual project in Arts sphere, (b) Collaborative project in Arts/Communications/ICT sphere, (c) Biodiversity Project, (d) Local History research project, (e) Volunteer of the Summer
“In the categories (a) to (d) there will be a first prize of €350 and a runner’s up prize of €150; in Category (e) there will be a single prize of €500.
“Nominations for the prize funds to be made by the sponsoring
Community/Voluntary bodies.”
Students and Groups wishing to participate in the scheme must register with the Laois Volunteer Information Service.
And a Volunteer may register with more than one sponsoring
body (eg. a Tidy Towns and a Biodiversity Group).
While voluntary groups must also register their interest too.
Registration for this scheme will remain open until Friday July 24.
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