Tuesday 9th October witnessed the culmination of many months of ‘behind the scenes’ hard work, bringing to fruition our pilot launch of the GOLDMARK Award Scheme.

Wendy Osborne OBE, Chief Executive, Volunteer Now said:

“Millennium Volunteers and GOLDMARK celebrate the achievements gained through volunteering and we are delighted that the UK Cheerleading Association is now a Delivery Partner. For many UK Cheerleading Association volunteers they will be demonstrating personal and skills development which enhance opportunities for further education, career development and personal satisfaction. We look forward to working with UK Cheerleading Association as they aim to further promote, support and recognise their young volunteers.”

Participating in this exciting pilot are 5 UKCA NI Clubs dedicated to promoting the sport and more importantly valuing their UKCA Cheer Volunteers. With 40 young people signing up to the UKCA/GOLDMARK NI Volunteer pilot launch at The Spectrum Centre in Belfast, this project has already exceeded expectations.

UKCA NI Rep Karen Graham & Lyne Greenwood from Volunteer Now NI delivered an introduction into the scheme. A motivating power-point guide on the work and success of the scheme in the UK highlighted the reward and enhancement of future career choices and opportunities through participation with GOLDMARK, alongside the development of important skills such as communication, organisation and time management.

The 5 clubs involved in the pilot were actively seeking a development pathway for the many volunteers they rely on to support their classes on a weekly basis. All were ideal and committed candidates for the UKCA launch and Volunteers were presented with their award scheme logbooks and special packs.

The Volunteers will present video blogs on their progress at the 5th Northern Ireland UKCA National Cheerleading Championships next February 2013.

Following the Volunteers presentation in February from the 5 clubs, UKCA will open the GOLDMARK project to all its Northern Ireland members. We hope that the success and experience of the 40 young Volunteers will inspire many more of our members to get active with GOLDMARK and in return, receive a nationally recognised award for their volunteer hours.