The Voice of Volunteering, Issue no 9, October 2007

Final week for NSW Volunteer of the Year nominations!
The Centre for Volunteering

Nominations for The Centre's NSW Volunteer of the Year and NSW Corporate Volunteer of the Year close on Monday, 15 October. Download a form from www.volunteering.com.au and make your nomination.

Vita Activa: Discovering the Third Sector
ABC and Volunteering Australia

Dr Melanie Oppenheimer, Associate Professor, School of Humanities & Languages, University of Western Sydney, is being interviewed for the series Vita Activa: Discovering the Third Sector on the ABC Radio National program Life Matters. There are seven interviews in this series and each interview focusses on issues (below) concerning volunteering and the third sector:

1. Recent survey results on volunteering, and Sale of third sector in Australia 
2. What happens when volunteers withdraw their labour
3. Students and volunteering
4. Cost of volunteering
5. Grey nomads and volunteering
6. Professionalisation of the volunteer sector
7. Skill shortages in volunteer organisations.

Vita Activa started on 1 October and can be heard every Monday for seven weeks on Life Matters which broadcasts at 9am on weekdays. However, you can still listen to the whole series via the internet or download a podcast from the ABC website.

Holiday volunteering: What's in it for you? Heaps!
Sarah Wiecek, first published in Volunteer Life

There is an old adage about travelling through unfamiliar places which says 'take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints'. Many of us, of course, leave things in hotel rooms and come home with far too many blurred photographs! But an increasing number of people is returning home with a sense of pride about the contributions they've made overseas – newly built houses, entering data for endangered species conservation or teaching new skills in local classrooms. MORE

Volunteering helps improve health: Study
World Volunteer Web

The Health Benefits of Volunteering report from the US Corporation for National and Community Service shows that volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease. Read the news article or download the report.

2007 Susan Ellis Workshop Report
The Centre for Volunteering

The Centre for Volunteering in Sydney held a very successful workshop with Susan Ellis sharing her knowledge, expertise and passion for volunteering with over 80 participants. Susan's presentation on the relationship between volunteers and paid staff was informative, enlightening and, at times, amusing. However, the major message she delivered was, that while friction is sometimes inevitable, there are always opportunities to resolve issues if dealt with in a timely and objective way. Feedback from the workshop was positive with several people expressing the desire for The Centre to invite similar experts to inform and educate the sector.

2007 Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management Report
OzVPM

The third Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management was held in September in Hobart with great success. Fifty delegates from Australia, New Zealand and even the US took time out to discuss the theme Positioning Our Profession. There were many outcomes, with the most significant being an overwhelming desire by attendees that the Australasian Association for Volunteer Administrators (AAVA) be supported, through individual memberships, to be a unified voice for the profession in our region. Read the report on the retreat at www.vpmretreat.com.au

Volunteer: A Traveller's Guide to Making a Difference Around the World
Lonely Planet

Are you looking for a more meaningful travel experience? Do you want to give back to the communities you visit, make a genuine connection with locals, meet like-minded travellers and build your skills? Lonely Planet's new book, Volunteer: A Traveller's Guide to Making a Difference Around the World, is an inspirational and user friendly resource. Win a copy of Volunteer by telling us your holiday volunteering tale.

The Centre for Volunteering's Networking Breakfasts

Making the best of the changing face of our volunteer workforce
Tuesday, 16 October 2007, 8.30am–10.30am
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney

Alison Keene will facilitate a discussion on how to gain long-term success with short-term (including culturally and linguistically diverse) volunteers. Alison would love to hear from you before the breakfast if you have some insight to share about working with short-term volunteers. Numbers are limited.

RSVP and order breakfast Numbers are limited. RSVP is essential. Please order your $5 breakfast in advance. Tea and coffee are free. Email Alison Keene or phone her on 02 9261 3600.

Ensuring the future of volunteering: Engaging young people as volunteers in your organisation
Tuesday, 20 November 2007, 8.30am–10.30am
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney

Jacinthe Brosseau examines the ins and outs of engaging young people as volunteers in your organisation. Jacinthe Brosseau is The Centre's Youth Volunteering and Student Community Involvement Program (SCIP) Coordinator.

RSVP and order breakfast Numbers are limited. RSVP is essential. Please order your $5 breakfast in advance. Tea and coffee are free. Email Jacinthe Brosseau or phone her on 02 9261 3600.

Public Speaking Workshop FULL – NO SEATS AVAILABLE
Tuesday, 23 October 2007, 9.30am–12.30pm or 1.30pm–4.30pm
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney
Cost: $10 (to be paid on the day) includes morning/afternoon tea

SpeakersBank Australia Incorporated and The Centre for Volunteering is running a pilot public speaking and presenting workshop on Tuesday, 23 October. There are two sessions and you can attend either session in the morning or afternoon. The workshops will provide a safe and supportive environment where you can learn public speaking. Practical exercises will help you develop self-confidence and trust in the public speaking process. The workshop is designed to teach, in a fast and fun way, the three core competencies for communicating as a speaker and presenter: delivery, structure and material.

International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day
Thursday, 1 November 2007

International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day (IVMAD) is fast approaching! For information and ideas on how to celebrate the day, visit www.ivmaday.org

The Centre for Volunteering is hosting a IVMAD afternoon tea on Thursday, 1 November for Volunteer Managers from its member organisations. Invitations will be sent this week.

Welcome: Geoff Copeland, Head of School
The Centre for Volunteering would like to welcome Geoff Copeland to the role of Head of School, School of Volunteer Management. Geoff has worked with the School since 2005, first conducting a review of the School and then working as a trainer conducting Leadership Effectiveness workshops.

Geoff has run his own management and training consultancy and has performed senior leadership roles in a variety of organisations. Geoff has been formally recognised for his leadership ability and effectiveness.

Geoff is keen to hear from organisations about the type of training they need in the area of volunteer management and volunteering generally. Please check our website to see our full course range. The School can also construct a training program relevant to  your particular volunteering needs with subjects ranging from governance to OH&S.

Phone Geoff on 9261 3600 or email gcopeland@volunteering.com.au

Welcome: Tony Frew, Research and Policy Manager
Tony Frew joins The Centre for Volunteering with extensive experience as a corporate professional and a business owner. He has held various honorary positions in the NFP and government sectors and has several tertiary qualifications relevant to the position of Research and Policy Manager.

Tony will bring a new focus to research and policy in The Centre for Volunteering. Now, external research projects will be selected on the basis of relevance to the Membership, funding bodies, volunteers and The Centre.

Tony will grow the department so it can undertake research on behalf of the Members in order to keep them 'ahead of the game' and ensure The Centre continues to effectively perform its role as the peak body for volunteering in NSW.

Phone Tony on 9261 3600 or email tfrew@volunteering.com.au

School Community Involvement Program Report
On Wednesday, 5 September, SCIP presented a session at the Sydney Mechanics' School of the Arts on youth volunteering. This session was part of the Conversations Series which is held monthly. The Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts is a non-profit organisation committed to providing free talks and seminars to the people of Sydney.

On Wednesday, 12 September, the SCIP team ran a successful Community Education Day at Marist College, Kogarah, as part of the Social Justice program. After this event, Year 9 students visited various community organisations to take part in community involvement activities. We thank the speakers from the following organisations for their inspiring talks: Amnesty International, Australian Red Cross, Conservation Volunteers Australia, The Benevolent Society and St Georges Disability Services.

On Tuesday, 25 September, SCIP ran a workshop at the Western Sydney Regional SRC Camp in Springwood in the Blue Mountains on student volunteering. Feedback about the workshop was positive and the young people will take back what they learned to their respective schools with the aim of promoting youth/student community involvement and volunteering.

© The Centre for Volunteering 2007 | 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 | W: www.volunteering.com.au
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