June 2006

In This Issue

- Features              - Events & Training              - The Centre's News

Premier Iemma, Peter Debnam, Ian Kiernan and Adam Spencer share their thoughts about what volunteering means to them
[The Centre for Volunteering]

During National Volunteer Week, 15–21 2006, Premier Iemma, NSW Liberal Leader Peter Debnam, Clean Up Australia's Ian Kiernan and ABC Radio's Adam Spencer were all asked by The Centre for Volunteering: "What does volunteering mean to you?"

ABC Radio breakfast presenter Adam Spencer cut to the chase when he said: "I've been coaching the University of Sydney women's soccer team for four years now and I absolutely love it ... I get just as much out of the gig as the girls do," he joked. "Volunteering rocks!" MORE

Looking for volunteers? We have them!
[The Centre for Volunteering]

The Centre for Volunteering's referral service is currently experiencing something new. There is a huge number of volunteers enquiring about vacancies every week. People are really keen to share their skills but unfortunately there are not enough volunteer jobs for them.

We need your help. If you are a member, you are asked to assess your current volunteer needs, draft the relevant job descriptions and advertise volunteer vacancies through our volunteer referral service and new Fido Skilled Volunteer Search. MORE

Nominating an unsung hero – Pride of Australia Medal 2006
[The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph]

Following the outstanding success of the inaugural Pride of Australia Medal in 2005, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph have launched the program again in 2006.

The Pride of Australia Medal aims to bring to public attention the extraordinary contributions of everyday Australians who don't always get the acknowledgment they deserve. A unique sterling silver Pride of Australia Medal is awarded to the winners to recognise and honour them at a special ceremony. MORE

The Centre for Volunteering Members Breakfast Forum
Tuesday, 20 June 2006, 9am–10.30am
Join us for our regular Members Breakfast Forum held monthly at The Centre for Volunteering, Level 2, 228 Pitt Street (between Park and Market Streets), Sydney.

This month, Jenny Kap, trainer in the School of Volunteer Management (SVM), will give a brief preview and lead a discussion on the workshop Community Engagement. This workshop is designed to encourage community organisations to maximise community participation by expanding opportunities for involvement. It covers redefining your organisation's role in the community, mapping your community, introduction to the concept of civil society, building community networks and expanding opportunities for involvement.

It is essential that you RSVP to attend and order breakfast in advance. Breakfast costs $5 and includes fruit salad, raisin toast and muffins. Tea and coffee are free.

- Email Claudiene Duarte or phone her on 9261 3600.
- Mark your calendar with the dates of our 2006 Breakfast Forums.

You must be a member of The Centre for Volunteering to attend. Download our membership brochure or phone our membership team on 02 9261 3600 for more information.

SVM Workshop: Snapshot for Staffing
Wednesday, 21 June, 9am–5pm

This workshop covers issues that arise in every organisation. Find out how to deal with stressful conversations, lead teams and manage change and conflict.

- Find out more about Snapshot for Staffing.
- Enrol online to attend the Snapshot for Staffing workshop.

SVM Workshop: Managing Conflict and Change
Thursday, 27 July, 9am–5pm

This one day course explores strategies for ensuring that individuals, teams and organisations gain from change and that clients and service-users also benefit through improved services. The course also explores ways to minimize and manage conflict arising from change, so that opportunities are created for learning, improved teamwork, increased productivity and innovation.

- Find out more about Managing Conflict and Change.
- Enrol online to attend the Managing Conflict and Change workshop.

SPECIAL EVENT
Effective volunteer management: Mobilising all your resources
Monday, 14 August
The School of Volunteer Management is proud to partner with the volunteer management training organisations, OzVPM and People First – Total Solutions, for the Sydney date of their National Volunteer Management Training Series in 2006. US trainer and author Rick Lynch will present Effective volunteer management: Mobilising all your resources and help you understand how to expand your volunteer program while lessening its impact on managers.

- Register online to attend.

- View the School of Volunteer Management's course calendar.

Internal volunteer training
The Centre for Volunteering ran its first annual Volunteer Training Program for its own volunteers. Claudiene Duarte, volunteer coordinator, volunteer referral service, organised this internal event which comprised three days training. Volunteers were encouraged to attend at least one day of training. Eight members spoke about their organisations, missions, projects and volunteer roles, giving our volunteers important insight into member organisations and their varying needs. Staff also gave presentations and spoke about their roles, projects, plans and future directions.

Taking employee volunteering online
Ian Leader, community relations manager for Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, visited The Centre for Volunteering to discuss Skills Exchange, a unique online employee volunteering facility. Skills Exchange has been developed in partnership with Vodafone New Zealand and helps bring together volunteers in the corporate sector and in community groups who need help with their activities. Ian shared his extensive experience in corporate volunteering and community projects and The Centre is working with him to bring Skills Exchange to NSW.

SVM managers upgrade their skills
The School of Volunteer Management's director, Gwenda Lawther, and head of training services, Stephanie Sebalj, completed a Bridging Course to upgrade their skills in line with the new TAA40104 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Complementing their own training experience, this new qualification enables them to access current training trends and to provide up-to-date and relevant training for volunteer managers. Find out more about the School of Volunteer Management.

Another successful Student Community Involvement Program event
The Centre for Volunteering participated in another successful Student Community Involvement Program (SCIP) event. The Community Education Day was held for 90 Year 9 students at Pymble Ladies College. The Centre's Jacinthe Brosseau presented Volunteering: You can make a difference, a short information session on volunteering. There were also talks by Melina Tsembis from the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW and Jim Grainda, a volunteer speaker with The Centre. The speakers were well-received by the community-minded school and the response to the talks was very positive. Thank you to all who were involved in making the day a great success.

Project Updates

Volunteers and the Law
The Volunteers and the Law project has just received legal data on cases and enquiries that have been conducted through one of its project partners, the Public Interest Legal Clearing House. The Centre will soon conduct a statewide legal needs survey aimed at community organisations. This survey will ask a number of questions: what difficult legal issues organisations and volunteers face; how they find help and information about the law and volunteering; and what type of legal resources they would like to see dedicated to volunteering, e.g. online and print resources and a dedicated telephone hotline.

Forming partnerships: Volunteering Makes a Difference
The Centre for Volunteering has recently partnered with Youth Off the Streets (YOTS) on the long-term project Volunteering makes a difference: Volunteering opportunities for disadvantaged young people. This innovative project provides positive volunteer experiences, training and mentoring to disadvantaged young people so that they can contribute to their communities while gaining employment skills, self-esteem and enhanced mental health. We are working with YOTS because we have similar goals and have now combined our expertise with theirs in the fields of volunteering and youth support. MORE

Copyright © 2006 The Centre for Volunteering | ABN 28 002 416 024
Level 2, 228 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
T: 02 9261 3600 | F: 02 9261 4033 | E: info@volunteering.com.au
www.volunteering.com.au
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