RURAL LIVING Volunteering: a means to build resilience and social capital

Roscommon’s rural location can be a boon for a lot of small community groups in towns and villages across the county. In these areas, people can quickly form close ties, which supports their ability to develop strong social capital. Volunteers in rural areas tend to be active in the areas of sports, heritage, social inclusion and care of the elderly. Furthermore, the act of volunteering can lead to better physical and mental health outcomes as noted in a report conducted by

Volunteer Ireland.

Volunteers in rural areas are of all ages and abilities and form valuable social networks. There tends to be higher levels of informal volunteering in rural areas where people become involved because they know someone in an organisation or because they’re directly approached and asked to help out. Challenges do exist for people that do want to volunteer in these areas though, with a lack of transportation for example often cited as be- ing an obstacle. Additionally, the rate of once-off volunteering is on the rise, as people try to squeeze in opportunities to support their communities between busy work schedules and the demands of family life. Interestingly, the overall rate of volunteering in Ireland (as a portion of the population) is relatively high compared to the rest of the world. According to the 2022 census, 711,379 people nationwide reported that they regularly engaged in helping or voluntary work. Worldwide,

Ireland is recognised as one of the top countries with a high level of community connectivity.

According to the World Giving Index 2022, Ireland ranks at number 11 globally for ‘giving’, which was assessed by measuring if people helped a stranger in need, donated money to a charity, and volunteered their time to an organisation.

(Indonesia ranks number one in the World Giving Index as 58% reported helping a stranger, 84% donated money, and 63% volunteered; in Ireland, 55% reported helping a stranger, 59% donated money and 32% of people volunteered).

Volunteers support community groups and charities because they see a need and want to act. It gives them a sense of community spirit and an opportunity to participate in local development. If you or someone you know are interested in volunteering, please contact Roscommon Volunteer Centre at 089-400-8332 or visit volunteerroscommon.ie.