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Volunteering on display
04/12/2001
Art work, poetry and prose by children from over 400 primary schools throughout Scotland goes on display this week at 30 venues as the culmination of the International Year of Volunteers 2001 Schools Project.
The Executive invited all Primary 7 children to participate in IYV2001, as declared by the UNited Nations, by illustrating what it was like to be a volunteer in their local communities.
The new Social Justice Minister Iain Gray was shown round the exhibition in Edinburgh today by pupils who took part.
He said:
"The Executive's IYV2001 School's Project has given children all over Scotland the chance to be part of the International Year of Volunteers and to understand the importance of volunteers in their own communities.
"The UN's International Year of Volunteers 2001 has seen the profile of volunteering raised world-wide. In Scotland we have run a very successful programme of events and schemes throughout the year, including the Schools Project. I can see how much thought, time and effort the children have put into their work and how much fun they must have had.
"Recent figures show just over a quarter of Scots regularly volunteer. The value of this work is inestimable, providing additional, grass-roots support to so many people and making communities more caring, active places to live.
"The International Year of Volunteers may be drawing to a close, but I still want to encourage more people to volunteer, whatever their age or abilities. Volunteers not only enhance the life of their communities, they gain experience, skills, friends, and the knowledge that what they do makes a difference."
The 30 Schools Project exhibitions are running from Wednesday 28 November until Friday 7 December at:
Angus - Carnoustie Library, 21 High Street Carnoustie
Aberdeenshire - Woodhill House, Westburn Road, Aberdeen
Aberdeen City- Central Children's Library, Rosemount Viaduct, Abderdeen, AB25 1GU
Argyll & Bute - Kilmory Castle, Council Headquarters, Kilmory, Lochgilphead.
Borders - Melrose Education Centre, Huntly Road, Melrose
Dumfries & Galloway - Gracefield Arts Centre, 28 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries.
Dundee City - Reference Floor, Central Libraries, Wellgate, Dundee
East Ayrhsire - Dick Institute Library, Elmbank Avenue, Kilmarnock; Cumnock Library, 25-27 Ayr Road, Cumnock; Mauchline Library, 2 The Cross, Mauchline.
East Dunbartonshire - Tom Johnston House, Civic Way, Kirkintilloch; Bishopbriggs Library, 170 Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs; Brookwood Library, 166 Drymen Road, Bearsden; Milngavie Library, Allander Road, Milngavie; Craighead Library, Milton of Campsie.
East Lothian - Brunton Hall Reception Area, Musselburgh, East Lothian.
East Renfrewshire - Giffnock Library, Station Road, Giffnock; Barrhead Library, Glen Street Barrhead.
Edinburgh - Central Library, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EG
Falkirk - Falkirk Library, Hope Street, Falkirk
Fife - Valleyfield Library, Health Centre, Chapel Street, High Valleyfield; Dalgetty Bay Library, Regents Way, Dalgetty Bay; Kincardine Library, 2 Keith Street, Kincardine: Kelty Library, Cocklow Street, Kelty; Inverkeithing Library, Church Street, Inverkeithing; Cowdenbeath Library, High Street, Cowdenbeath; Carnegie Library, Abbot Street, Dunfirmline; Kinghorn Library, Rossland Place, Kinghorn; Kirkcaldy Central Library, War Memorial Gardens, Kirkcaldy; Markinch Library, Betson Street, Markinch; Cadham Library, Cadham Shopping Centre, Huntsman Road, Glenrothes; Rothes Halls Library, Rothes Hall, Kingdom Centre, Glenrothes; Glenwood Library, Glenwood Shopping Centre, Glenrothes; Methil Library, Wellesley Road, Methil: Kinglassie Library, 34 Main Street, Kinglassie: Cardenden Library, Garden Avenue, Cardenden.
Glasgow - Tramway, Visual Arts Studio, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow
Highland - Council Chambers Foyer, Council Headquarters, Glenurqhart Road, Inverness
Inverclyde - Central Library, Clyde Square, Greenock
Moray - Elgin Community Education Centre, Trinity Road, Elgin
North Ayrhsire - Saltcoats Library, Springvale Place, Saltcoats
North Lanarkshire - Motherwell Library, Motherwell
OrkneyIslands - Voluntary Action Orkney, 6 Bridge Street, Kirkwall
Perth & Kinross - Aberfeldy Library , Bank Street, Aberfeldy PH15 2PY ; AK Bell Library , 2/8 York Place, Perth PH2 8EP; Aylth Library , 23 Airlie Street, Aylth, Perthshire; Auchterarder Library , Chapel Wynd, Auchterarder, Perthshire PH3 1B; Blairgowrie Library, 46a Leslie Street, Blairgowrie, Perthshire; Crieff Library, 6 Comrie Street, Crieff, Perthshire; Coupar Angus Library , Union Street, Coupar Angus.
Shetland Islands - Islesburgh Community Centre, King Harald Street, Lerwick
South Ayrshire - Carnegie Library, 12 Main Street, Ayr
South Lanarkshire - Rutherglen Library, 163 Main Street, Rutherglen; Lanark Library, 16 Hope Street, Lanark; East Kilbride Central Library, 40 The Olympia, East Kilbride; Hamilton Central Library, 98 Cadzow Street, Hamilton.
Stirling - Stirling Library, Callander Library, Drymen Library.
Western Isles - Stornoway Library, Cromwell Street, Stornoway; Sgoil Liowacleit, Benbecula.
West Dunbartonshire - Dalmuir Library, 3 Lennox Place, Clydebank
West Lothian - Lindsay House, Reception Area, South Bridge Street, Bathgate.
The Scottish launch of IYV2001 took place on December 5, 2000 at the Armadillo in Glasgow when Deputy Minister for Social Justice Margaret Curran spoke in front of more than 1,500 delegates. Around 150 national IYV2001 committees have been set up around the world.
A Scottish IYV Committee chaired by Mrs Liz Burns OBE, Director, Volunteer Development Scotland, was established and has met seven times. It was supported by the Executive's Voluntary Issues Unit and has a budget of £250k for the current financial year.
Nine Ministers took part shadowing a volunteer in the week beginning 19 February 2001. They visited a number of different organisations such as Edinburgh Direct Aid, Barnardo's, Wester Hailes Representative Council and the Royal Blind School to learn more about what volunteers do.
The Scottish Household Survey 1999/200 shows 26% of adults took part in some voluntary activity, and, voluntary activity is on the increase. This ranges from people working in charity shops to volunteer fire fighters in rural communities, guide leaders and football team coaches. The true value of volunteering in Scotland is impossible to quantify.