The Opportunity Youth Offices are located in the heart of Belfast City Centre and the heart is…read morewhere this business belongs. The offices were recently reopened after refurbishment. They primarily used as conferencing centres for businesses working with young people aged 8 to 25 years old. Opportunity Youth deal with the development of young people at every level. Career development, rehabilitation and life skills. This is a worthwhile cause and often receives inadequate government funding for the good work it undertakes. Hildon House always welcomes volunteers and the at reception they are willing to answer any enquiries. But I would recommend phoning ahead if you are interested, the staff are often dealing with important issues. This worthwhile organisation is well worth a visit if you are interested in youth development issues or are just intrigued by the swanky new building.

Ardoyne youth club was built around the 1960's. The youth club started out in a hut in flax street…read morethen moved to the building were it is situated at present. When the youth club moved to the building were it is now it was at one time the biggest youth club in Europe. Ardoyne youth club has been a major success from it opened in the3 1960's becoming a place for young people to attend and providing a safe place for them to be. The youth centre also runs programmes throughout the week, the youth club has four teams competing in the Down & Conor. The youth centre also runs other programmes such as Irish dancing, Ju Jitsu, Fitness suite, Recording studio and Afterschools club and many more

Staff are dedicated to the children and have supported the youth of the area for decades. Ardoyne…read morecouldn't do without the Ardoyne Youth club and the great work they do for the youth of the area. Thank you all.

The Welcome Organisation is a charity organisation which operates throughout day and night in and…read morearound Belfast to provide help and support to the homeless community. It's funded by the Housing Executive though it heavily relies on public help and support. All the staff in the organisation are volunteers who offer their services as and when they can. There are a number of facilities available including; food, showers, laundry, health care, specialist agencies, day and night outreach programmes, night time crisis accommodation, a daytime drop in centre and various facilities for vulnerable women. The Welcome Centre has been providing invaluable assistance to vulnerable homeless people on the streets on Belfast. It's been running for 15 years and began as a soup kitchen. Since then it's developed and expanded to branch out its services to those sleeping rough and in need of a little care and support. Contact Sandra.moore3@btopenworld.com for any more information or if you wish to offer your services for volunteering.

The Dunanney Centre is a building in the Diamond area of Rathcoole which provides various helpful…read moreand informative services to the local community. It currently houses; Abbey Sure Start, Women's Aid, Coole Parents Project, Citizens Advice Bureau, North City Training, Rathcoole Community Empowerment Partnership (which delivers a capacity building programme to the resident's of Rathcoole) and Called to Care Ministries. Within the centre there are a number of meeting rooms, a large hall and IT facilities which can be hired by arrangement. Over the years it has been the location of a number of different groups, all vital to the upkeep of the community. It is a well known location in the area just in front of the famous multi story flats of Rathcoole.

Cross community centre bringing together people from the new lodge and shankil area. Groups include…read morecommunity development, youth clubs, groups for the elderly to name a few.

There is a gallery space in the foyer of the VSB which is a another useful showcase for local…read moreartistic talent. Maybe the pictures I saw recently was not the best work I've ever seen but they certainly wasn't the worst . It's also a good place to kill two birds with one stone too by perusing the volunteering opportunities which you can find out about from information provided here, the main office of Voluntary Service Belfast. You might come across opportunities for unpaid in marketing or the media for instance. There are times when these opportunities are more plentiful than others, so it is a good idea to check here regularly to keep an eye on what is going on for voluntary work in Belfast or elsewhere in Northern Ireland if you have the spare time to do so.

The VSB is located at 34 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast and is the headquarters of the volunteer…read moreservice for Belfast and has been running for 43 years. VSB merged with 7 other volunteer organisations in April 2010 to form Volunteer Now. They offer a wide range of volunteer opportunities which is great service is this day and age. Whether you are simply a good Samaritan willing to help those in need, or if you fancy getting some first hand experience in one of many the many areas on offer, you should call in here and see what they can suggest to you. I've been here previously looking for a bit of both fields, in a world where having a degree doesn't even guarantee you a job, having volunteer experience is a great way of showing your enthusiasm and commitment to prospective employees. It was through the VSB I landed myself my radio show experience and article writing break in to the industry. Friends have been here and ended up working for a number of different charitable organisations including feeding the homeless, helping the blind and gaining first hand sign language experience. It's a great business which I am sure could offer you lots of valuable experience whatever it is you're after.

The Link Family and Community Centre aims to bridge the gaps in the community by providing…read moresomething for everyone. They offer programmes for young people (Project23), adults struggling with addiction and housing issues (MARC), senior citizens (Lunch Club & Drop-In), parents and babies (Tots Time), and language classes for those for whom English is not their first language. They also provide volunteering opportunities for people to come and get involved, using their gifts and talents to help others and create a much more inclusive community where no-one should feel alone or of no value. A great place doing a great thing.

Falls Women's Centre is one of the many community organisations that exist in this area. As the…read morename suggests, this organisation is primarily involved with women's issues. It works with other community groups in the surrounding area and very much focuses on the advancement of women as a contribution to overall community regeneration. They offer all sorts of advice on a range of issues, including welfare rights, disability issues, discrimination, etc. While I've never availed of their services, I have had cause to liaise with the Falls Women's Centre at various times in furtherance of different community initiatives, and have always found them to be a friendly and professional group. There's a small group of full-time employees who are supported by a pool of dedicated volunteers who commit their free time to doing what they can to drive the centre forward, and progress the ideals of the organisation. It's a useful organisation to assist you in getting certain issues addressed, especially if you're finding it difficult to know where to start.