20 March 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
A major national volunteering conference will take place this weekend (March 20-22) in Cork.
The ‘Nurturing Young People’s Potential – the Volunteer’s Role’ has been organised by Foróige, Ireland’s leading youth organisation.
Keynote speaker is former Mountjoy Prison governor and former Foróige member John Lonergan, who will speak at 10.45am on Saturday.
John will speak about the need for male volunteers as role models for boys in particular. The importance of how we communicate with young people, even when challenging them about difficult behaviour, is also a major theme of his speech.
More than 200 people from around the country will descend on the Cork International Airport Hotel to celebrate the 403,108 volunteer hours that have powered the work of Foróige in one year alone.
Attendees will hear that the organisation works with 54,000 young people and 5,500 volunteers across Ireland each year.
Also attending the event is Foróige’s longest serving volunteer.
John Sullivan from Kilkenny has volunteered with the youth organisation for more than half a century.
Who: National Volunteer Conference, organised by Foróige, Ireland’s leading youth organisation.
What: Keynote Address by former Mountjoy Prison governor and former Foróige member John Lonergan at 10.45am on Saturday, March 21st.
Where: Cork International Airport Hotel, Cork Airport Business Park, Cork.
When: Conference takes place from 8pm on Friday, March 20th to 1pm on Sunday, March 22nd.
