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 operate our website in the following way-
- We have a WordPress website and blog, http://ozanamhouse.ie/. The website is updated using FTP.
- Our social media is updated regularly mainly with links from the website and provides important information on the centre and highlights what we do here. We use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. – ‘svpozanamhouse’
The role of the volunteer will be supporting our Website Management and occasionally our Social Media Department in the following ways:
Tasks
- Maintaining and updating our website once a term (10 weeks) or as needs require
- Becoming familiar with the website and its structure
- Troubleshooting- support the centre by offering off site or hands on advice in dealing with day to day problems if and when they arise
- Maintaining a high standard in cyber-security
- Reviewing the website and making any changes to its structure/format that may be required
- 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 website management. This day/time can be arranged locally.
The time commitment for web updates, social media work and troubleshooting is flexible where the need for assistance can happen at different times and the availability of the volunteer to respond depends on the time, day of the call.
There is an understanding that when a call for assistance is made it may be a few hours or days before the volunteer is available to come in to assist us and this is an expected part of the role. The earlier the volunteer is available the better for the centre.
Skills, Experience & Qualities Required
- Be able to use FTP, particularly Filezilla
- Have confidence using web hosting applications
- Have knowledge of and be able to use HTML, CSS and Javascript
- Good organizational skills
- Good communication and interpersonal skills – vital in a supportive role
- 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 is responsible for the support of our volunteers. Volunteers will meet with the co-ordinator either in one-to-one meetings, or in team meetings to discuss ongoing progress and any issues arising.
- The volunteer will be a part of the ICT Committee in the centre The ICT Committee will consist of a small team of ICT experts dedicating their time to support the ICT infrastructure in Ozanam House.
- The ICT Committee will meet four times per year in January, April, August and November in the evenings.
- General volunteer meetings, for all volunteers, will take place twice a year, 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.
Contact
Kim Haugh
Phone: 01-8742804
Email: [email protected]