Kerry Volunteer Centre is hosting free training on Active Citizenship for volunteers and voluntary organisations in Kerry this month.

The training workshop, entitled "After the Elections", offers volunteers and community and voluntary organisations the opportunity to acquire the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to become more active citizens in their local community. The workshop will help individuals and groups find their voice and use their power to work for change and build their communities.

Hannah Lane, Manager of Kerry Volunteer Centre, said “We are delighted to be in a position to offer this Active Citizenship Training to volunteers, community and voluntary organisations in Kerry. This training couldn’t come at a more appropriate time. During this difficult economic period, there is a danger of many citizens becoming disempowered. The risk of disempowerment is greatest among people or groups who are already struggling to exist or keep afloat from day to day. The views of these groups or individuals are rarely heard. The “After the Elections” workshop will help volunteers and voluntary groups who need to know how to affect change, respond to government and influence policy and enable them to be active rather than passive citizens.”

“The objective of the training is to enable participants to advocate for themselves on issues which are important to them or their organisations. During the workshop, attendees will receive an introduction to their local elected representatives and identify important issues requiring the attention of their elected representatives. Participants will learn how to develop a position paper on their particular issue and how to effectively present it. “After the Elections” will motivate citizens to shape society and hold government to account,” explained Hannah.

“After the Elections” training sessions is organised by Kerry Volunteer Centre and will be facilitated by The Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice. Training takes place from 10am-2.30pm on Monday 20th February at The Abbeygate Hotel, Tralee and on Tuesday 21st February from 12.30pm-5pm at the Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiative (KASI) Centre, in Killarney. Booking is essential. While the Tralee workshop is already booked out, there are still some places available for Killarney. So hurry up and book your place now! To reserve your place, please call Kerry Volunteer Centre on 066 7117966 or email Hannah at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it