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About us
About us
Trinity VDP is a college society in Trinity College Dublin, serving as the Trinity Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
We are Ireland's largest student charity organisation, as well as being the most active Vincent de Paul conference in the country!
On a weekly basis we serve our local community with nearly 40 different activities - ranging from afterschool clubs, to social clubs for the elderly and for adults with additional support needs, to street outreach programmes providing food, clothing, and social interaction to people living on the streets of Dublin city.
In addition to our hands-on activities supporting others, we also organise society fundraising events, social events, and weekends away that are always so much fun and help bring our volunteers together. Volunteers are the heart of VDP - you keep the society alive!
Becoming a member
Becoming a member
We are FREE to join for all students and members of faculty in Trinity College, and we love bringing new volunteers on board! Sign up for training and Garda Vetting here!
Have a look at our step-by-step guide to starting volunteering with VDP, and visit our activities page to see what you can help with!
We are committed to being as accessible as possible, so please get in touch if there's anything we can do to help you help others!
Why join Trinity VDP?
Why join Trinity VDP?
Hi everyone, and a very warm welcome to Trinity VDP!
I’m so excited you’re reading this because it means you’re thinking about getting involved in VDP! And honestly, that’s one of the best decisions you can make in college.
Trinity VDP is the most active society on campus and the largest student charity in Ireland! But what makes VDP truly special are the people: the volunteers and the service users. VDP is for everyone: so to undergrads, master’s students, postgrads and staff: we know you’re super busy, but please consider it, we’d love to have you! Whether you’re in first year looking for your place in Trinity or any other year hoping to branch out and meet new people, you’ve found the right place!
I joined VDP on my very first day of first year because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. What I didn’t expect was that it would become my new comfort zone. I have never felt so understood and safe as I have with the people I have met in VDP and it’s a feeling everyone deserves to experience. VDP isn’t just something you “do” in Trinity, it’s something you’re a part of.
Through volunteering, I’ve learned so much about people, our community and the difference an hour or two of your time can make - whether that’s sharing a laugh with a kid at one of our primary school kids clubs, hitting that high note in a dramatic WestLife karaoke duet in T-club, or finishing a letter that will make someone’s day at Letter Writing.
We know that some problems can feel too big for us to make a difference on our own and that can be frustrating, but I promise: every small act of kindness matters. You’ll see that in VDP, and you’ll feel it too. The flap of a butterfly’s wings can cause a hurricane!
Can't wait to get started? AMAZING! Come to one of our open activities that you can start right now or come along to one of our events this week and say hi! We also have LOADs of social events going on this week! Check out our freshers timetable on the TrinityVDP instagram!
We appreciate our volunteers so much and want to be there for you every step of the way. Our incredible activity leaders guide you at an activity if you have any concerns and our amazing Volunteer Liaison Officer is there for you if you need to get anything off your chest. A problem shared is a problem halved!
Volunteers will incur no cost at volunteering, if we take public transport to and from an activity, we will pay for it on the society leap cards. We don't believe there should be any barriers to volunteering so we will try to help reduce them in every way that we can. If you ever have any ideas on how we could make volunteering easier or more accessible for you, please reach out.
Please consider taking a chance on us, we promise you won't regret it. If you have any questions, worries, or any accessibility concerns, PLEASE reach out, we would so love to hear from you.
- Jill O'Brien, Trinity VDP President 2025/26
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