A safe place where people learn and grow,

that serves our needs and enriches our lives

in a supportive, fun and caring environment’

 

Our organisation

Ozanam House is a community resource centre run by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. It is located on the site of the original clothing and furniture warehouse in a building that has also been used by the Society for a variety of purposes for over 100 years.

Since our opening in September 2002, we have continued to develop various programmes and projects aimed at addressing the issue of social exclusion as well as the many needs of the local community in Dublin’s north inner city.

The centre now offers over 600 programme places to more than 500 people per week where our youngest member is 3 and our eldest is 94. We also engage 75 active volunteers who share their time and skills each week for the benefit of others.

Overview of the Volunteer Role

We run our social media platforms to promote our programmes in the centre and any major events, such as our big annual fundraising event Ozanam Come Dancing, held in March each year –

1. We offer a wide range of programmes that cater to the community of the North East Inner City. From our Childcare Centre for pre-school children to our Active Retirement and Men’s Groups for the elderly and our Youth Groups and Adult Education for everything in between. Each of these programmes needs promotion to recruit both new service users and staff and volunteers.
2. Our large fundraising events of the year are vital for the continuation of the services we provide. Each of these needs to be promoted as much as possible to make these events a success.
3. Social media also plays a big part in our fundraising and our promotion within the Private Sector-where financial support is key

The role of the volunteer supporting our Social media department is as follows:

Tasks

• Assisting in developing a coherent and successful social media plan
• Assisting in posting on various social media platforms
• Helping develop and create video and audio content for social media platforms and events where skills allow
• Liaising with our team about photographic content
• Assisting in design elements for the centre, social media and the main fundraising events
• Networking with other like-minded organisations and accounts to maximise impact
• Developing skills and bringing fresh ideas to a media brand

Time commitment

The volunteer should commit to at least one evening per month (2-3 hours) to come in to assist and plan for social media platforms.  This day/time can be arranged locally.

However, there may be slightly more demand, depending on volunteer’s availability, coming up to Ozanam Come Dancing.

Skills, Experience & Qualities Required

• Understanding and knowledge of editing and design software such as InDesign, Photoshop and Premiere Pro
• Willingness to share your knowledge and skills in this area
• Good organizational skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• High motivation and engagement to be a volunteer over a longer period of time
• Patience, resilience, tolerance and flexibility
• Understanding of and commitment to the ethos of volunteering, community initiative and the organisation

Training & Induction

• The volunteer will attend an induction/information night in the centre prior to his/her first engagement and will get a general information pack to become familiar with the centre and our procedures
• The volunteer will have an initial meeting with the co-ordinator to receive a role-specific induction and to agree a timetable and schedule of duties in line with the volunteer role description
• Team meetings with our team of computer teachers take place each term,  as well as individual training programmes that will be provided if/where necessary

Support & Supervision

The co-ordinator will be responsible for the supervision of the volunteer. Volunteers will meet with their co-ordinator either in one-to-one meetings, or in team meetings to discuss ongoing progress and any issues arising.

General volunteer meetings, for all volunteers, will take place twice a year, in May and November.

Benefits

• Personal and professional development
• Sharing knowledge that can help others enrich other peoples’ lives
• Opportunity to work in and learn about a community resource centre
• Opportunity to build up valuable work experience
• Opportunity to make a great difference – one that is positive and rewarding – to your life and your community
• To be part of a progressive and energetic team supporting others to achieve their goals and to improve their lives.