Amazed, but not surprised, at the immediate and huge response of the Sligo community to roll up their sleeves and help those most in need as we all adapted to life under COVID-19, Sligo Public Participation Network (https://www.sligoppn.com, Sligo PPN) invited us to join forces and contribute to the Step Up for Sligo initiative.

None of the volunteers who made such a difference in the lives of local people did it for recognition or thanks! Our team would like to acknowledge and archive the contributions that the local community members made as this crisis forever changed our lives. The experience of lockdown would have been more worrying and isolating and had much more of a negative impact on the mental and physical health of our neighbours, were it not for the efforts of volunteers. This new project is an attempt to acknowledge, record and preserve the spirit and the efforts of those who lent a hand.

Sligo PPN has kindly set up the new website Step Up For Sligo (https://stepupforsligo.com/) as a portal to share volunteering (formally or informally) under COVID-19 experiences. Think of the story you want to tell. Did you help someone out? Or did you receive help from a kind volunteer? Perhaps your relative who was away from family was supported by a volunteer? We would love to include these unsung heroes with their permission, of course. Stories can take the form of short videos, images, audio or written word. Here are some tips to create your story for this initiative:

  • Think of the story you want to tell: new friendships, quirky stories, the impact of volunteering actions on both volunteers and the people who were supported, relationships across generations etc.
  • Make sure that story is the focus of the content you create – whatever format it takes
  • For videos, hold the phone steady to avoid a blurred image, tucking your elbows to your side can help with this
    • Hold your phone in Landscape NOT Portrait while you video
    • Make sure you are shooting in good light
    • Keep video length to about 30 seconds
    • Videos must be in .MP4 or .MOV format
  • Images should be no smaller than 796 x 447 (16:9) ratio, either portrait or landscape
  • Feel free to caption your videos and images if appropriate
  • Written content should be no longer than 1600 words, and should also include a photo
  • You can submit more than once, just make sure that every piece of content you create tells its own unique story.
  • If you are not sure how to tell the story or need help to get it together, feel free to contact us here at the Sligo Volunteer Centre info@volunteersligo.ie.

Once you are happy with your story, email it to stepupforsligo@gmail.com with your name, group (if applicable), location, and email address. Sligo PPN will then put your stories up on the portal and promote them on social media channels under the campaign #stepupforsligo.