Volunteers at the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation

Glencree recruits 6 volunteers for a period of 1 year from the beginning of September to the end of August each year. The volunteer positions from September 2010 – August 2011 are now full. We are now recruiting for the group starting in September 2011.

The Volunteer Role at Glencree

Volunteers are an important part of life at the Glencree Centre.  The Volunteer Programme provides Glencree with much needed support to run the Centre. In return, Glencree offers volunteers learning opportunities that will equip them with experiences and skills on their return home. The team of volunteers live, work and learn together as a community. Volunteers come from all over the world and they bring unique cultures and experiences to Glencree. This provides a diverse and intercultural atmosphere which is important in reconciliation work.

The team work of staff and volunteers allows us to offer our visitors and programme participants the best services possible. Volunteers add value to the work of Glencree through their commitment and hard work. Because they live on-site at Glencree, they provide a welcoming atmosphere that is so important to the work we do. Volunteers can also learn from the programmes they are assigned to and get to know the participants in the time they are here.

Volunteer Work

Volunteers at Glencree work in 3 main areas:

1. Centre Duties:

• Housekeeping.
• Kitchen.
• Linking with Client Groups.
• Exhibition.
• Recycling.

2. Driving:

Driving is included in the daily schedule and it is essential that volunteers possess a full manual driving licence.

3. Glencree Projects:

Each volunteer will work on projects for the duration of the year as well as Centre duties.

Possible projects volunteers may work with are:

Programme Projects:

• International Programme
• Women’s Programme
• Education & Training Programme
• Irish Peace Centres (Sustainable Peace)

More information on Glencree’s Programmes can be found here.

Centre Projects

• Fundraising & Development
• Archives
• Exhibition and tourism
• Creating a Peace Walk
• Catering
• Resource Centre
• I.T maintenance
• Organic vegetable garden

Volunteers will work on Projects whenever they are not busy with groups in the Centre. Each volunteer will either work with a Programme or Centre Project – this could be for up to 6 months or for however long the specific project takes to be completed. Volunteers will be expected to report regularly on how the project is going and do a presentation to the Glencree community at the end of the year.

Volunteering at Glencree is a combination of service and learning. The General Duties of Kitchen, Housekeeping, Linking, Exhibition and Driving contribute to a large amount of the working time of Volunteers. Although Glencree endeavours to provide as much Project work & Learning for volunteers as possible, the smooth running of the Centre is a priority so there tends to be less Project work than Centre work. Potential Volunteers should note that the work at Glencree involves long hours in the Centre duties areas, including late nights and early mornings!

Flexibility is required as while volunteers will be rostered on specific areas, they may be requested to assist in other areas where necessary such as light maintenance, reception/admin work and various other duties.

Length of Stay / Working Hours

We ask long term volunteers commit to a year of service at Glencree, generally a full year from the beginning of September to the end of August. We can only take short term volunteers if they are living in the area and accommodation and transport is not required.

Volunteers work 5 days out of 7 each week, and often work at weekends.  While volunteers will be rostered on specific areas on a 2 weekly rota, they may be requested to assist in other areas where necessary, and they need to maintain flexibility to adapt to sudden changes. Working hours are variable according to the needs of the Centre. A work week consists of approximately forty hours work which includes training days about once a month. While we try to keep to the average 40 hour working week, some working days are very long. We will try to compensate for this during quieter times.

Qualifications / Requirements Specific to this Role

No formal qualifications are required. However the following are desirable:

• Experience or an interest in housekeeping and kitchen work.
• Experience or an interest in working with, and speaking to groups of different ages, including those in their teenage years.
• Good organisational skills and ability to work on own initiative.
• Willing to work closely with people from different backgrounds and cultures.
• A commitment to the ethos of Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation and to work within the values, policies and procedures of the organisation
• A full clean manual driver’s licence.
• A basic understanding of English is desirable as communicating with groups is a large part of the role. However, English lessons are available for those who require them.
• Of course an interest in the work of the Centre is a plus!

Accommodation

Basic accommodation is provided on site. There are communal kitchen/living room and bathroom facilities and a bedroom for each volunteer.

Allowance

A subsistence allowance of €200.00 per month to cover basic needs is provided. You may also wish to arrange sufficient funds for holiday travel in Ireland. € 700/800 is suggested as the minimum amount to bring.

Meals

Volunteers prepare their own meals in the Wicklow Wing kitchen, and grocery money is provided on a weekly basis for volunteers to buy their own food. The Armoury Café provides lunch for all volunteers and staff on weekdays (except public holidays). Lunch and dinner is available in the Armoury for volunteers on days when a residential group is also eating; otherwise volunteers cook for themselves.

Volunteer Support

Glencree aims to provide support to volunteers
through weekly meetings with the Volunteer
coordinator, and mentors are also available.

The skills and knowledge gained on peace building and reconciliation programmes are the real benefit.
The volunteers at Glencree also have the opportunity to live and work together in a community of people from many different countries and cultures. An insight into Irish culture and Irish conflict, together with learning English is an added benefit for International volunteers. There may also be an opportunity to attend courses at the centre. There is an opportunity to meet with the many interesting visitors and groups that flow through the centre from various parts of the world.

There is a possibility of an educational trip to Belfast and the North to learn more about the Irish conflict as part of the Volunteer Experience. We can also arrange a Volunteer Exchange with Corrymeela (our sister Peace Centre in the North) if this is something the volunteer is interested in doing. We also endeavour to arrange a few day trips to interesting places in Ireland from time to time. E.g. The Guinness Storehouse, museums etc.

Various Volunteer visits to The Guinness Storehouse, Belfast and Newgrange over the years.

Glencree is located in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains. It is important to note that although we are only 30 minutes drive from Bray (on the outskirts of Dublin) and 1 hour from Dublin city centre, the area is remote and not accessible by public transport. However, Glencree provides a daily transport service to and from Bray each morning and evening. From Bray it is possible to get a train into Dublin City Centre. Potential volunteers should give careful consideration to this fact, as living at a relatively remote location does not appeal to everybody.

Health Care

Glencree covers volunteers’ medical expenses where reasonable. This includes visits to, and prescriptions from, a general practitioner. However, what Glencree provides is fairly limited to basic medical needs, and you may want to apply for medical insurance from your home country before you travel.  Medical Insurance is a requirement for Non EU citizens.

Passports & Visas

European Union citizens visiting the Republic of Ireland do not require visas, but do need to show their passports on entry.

Certain countries do not need a visa for the first 30 - 90 days of their stay. For the list of countries that don’t need a visa and for general information on visas, have a look at the link below or contact the Embassy of Ireland in your home country: http://www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie/home/index.aspx?id=8605
Citizens of other countries that are not on the list will need a visa to enter Ireland. This is the volunteer’s responsibility, so please make sure you know the requirements before you travel.

Non-EU citizens are also required to register at the Garda Immigration Bureau within the first few weeks after arrival. (The Garda Siochana is the national police force of Ireland.) Glencree will provide a letter with the information you need to acquire a volunteer visa for a year. Non-EU volunteers are also required to produce proof of medical insurance from their home countries in order to receive a visa. Your passport must also be valid for at least 3 months after the year’s visa expires. Upon visa approval, you will receive a stamp in your passport and a Garda registration card for the year. Please note that, although we rarely have any problems, Glencree is subject to the discretion of the Garda Immigration Bureau and cannot guarantee that everyone who applies will receive a visa.

Apply

If you would like to become a Volunteer, click here for an application form. 

For more information please contact Nicky Butler at nicky.butler@glencree.ie or call her at +35312829711.

You must be at least aged 18 years old to volunteer.

Successful applicants will be required to provide criminal background checking documentation from their country as well as 2 written references and a satisfactory medical check.

Your Application Form should be signed and sent to:

Nicky Butler
Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation
Glencree
Co. Wicklow
Ireland

Please feel free to contact Nicky on +353 1 2829711 if you have any questions on volunteering or the application process.

Former Volunteers

We would like to thank all those who have been part of Glencree’s Volunteer Programme.  This is a brave group of people who donate their valuable time, ideas, creativity to Glencree, and usually live up here on the mountain for one year.

The next volunteer reunion will be in 2013, if anyone is interested or has any suggestions, please contact Nicky Butler at nicky.butler@glencree.ie

Brendan Crowley (1936-2009), pictured below, was the longest serving volunteer at Glencree and passed away in February 2009.  He was an important part of the Glencree community and is dearly missed.  Read our tribute to him here. Also read more about the impact Brendan had on our lives on the Facebook tribute page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=47513484493.  If you met Brendan during your time at Glencree, please feel free to add your own memories.

This page was set up with the help of Hazel Keiley, who passed away on 29 November 2009 after a short illness.  Her generosity towards Glencree was greatly appreciated.  Her late sister Deirdre Coats served as a volunteer in the early days of Glencree’s work, an experience which greatly impacted her life.  May they rest in peace.