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Information » Employment & Training » Volunteering

Volunteering is when you give your time up to do something for a good cause without being paid. Volunteers can help in lots of different ways; you can work with children and young people, help the environment, or look after the elderly. Volunteers make a huge contribution to their communities and society.

Charities and other organisations often need help so that they can improve the lives of others or the local community. You can chose from thousands of opportunities, in Wales, the UK and even abroad.

The amount of time and commitment you give to volunteering is up to you. Some people volunteer on a weekly basis, others volunteer for weeks, months and some people volunteer year after year.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, gain skills and experience and can give you a good idea of what a particular job or career is like before you get paid employment. It can be a good way to fill part of a gap year and is a fantastic thing to have on your CV if you’ve given up your free time to do something worthwhile.

If you are interested in volunteering you can start off by working out how many hours you have to offer. You can then start thinking about what type of volunteering you would like to do and what skills and knowledge you can offer. There are lots of opportunities available depending on where you live and how much time you can commit to.

Have a look at some of the links below to find out more.

Organisations

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  Volunteering Wales

  information on volunteering and opportunities in your local area

  www.volunteering-wales.net

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  DO IT

  information on volunteering and database of opportunities - search for opportunities in the UK

  www.do-it.org.uk/

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  Millennium Volunteers

  volunteering opportunities for 16-24 year olds

  www.wcva.org.uk/volunteer .... =8&display_sitetextid=106

• 

  Community Service Volunteers

  volunteering opportunities in your local community

  www.csv.org.uk/

• 

  Time Bank

  information on volunteering - lists all the major volunteering organisations with opportunities in the UK and abroad

  www.timebank.org.uk/

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  Platform2

  is a global volunteering experience for 18-25 year olds funded by the Department for International Development and run by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC

  www.myplatform2.com/

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  The National Centre for Volunteering

  links to many organisations offering voluntary work including overseas

  www.volunteering.co.uk

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  Wales Council for Voluntary Action

  These pages are designed for those with responsibility for managing volunteers or for anyone with an interest in volunteering issues.

  www.wcva.org.uk/volunteer .... .cfm?display_sitedeptid=4

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  TheSite - Volunteering

  Get the lowdown on some questions about volunteering.

  www.thesite.org/workandstudy/volunteering