Happy Birthday MV

Parliament Buildings, Stormont was the setting for a celebration recently to mark the 10th birthday of Millennium Volunteers, which recognises sustained volunteering in young people aged 16-24. Since its launch in 2000 almost 8,000 young people have registered on the programme, with over 3,000 achieving their Award of Excellence marking 200 hours volunteering.

Wendy Osborne OBE, Chief Executive, Volunteer Now said, “Millennium Volunteers has been a great success over the past 10 years. The strength of the programme lies in its commitment to ensuring and developing good practice in volunteer management, ensuring that volunteering opportunities meet the needs of the young people but also the organisations which involve them. Volunteering is an excellent way for young people to develop their skills, gain new experiences and is a great addition to their CV.”

Leanne Donaghy, 24 has been volunteering since she was 16 and has achieved her Millennium Volunteers 200 hour award.  Leanne said, “The Millennium Volunteer Programme definitely influenced me in terms of my career and the skills I have learnt.  I would really encourage young people to get involved.  I was very pleased with the help and support I received and the opportunities to make new friends and attend training courses. I believe young people appreciate the fact that their work has been recognised in this way.”