The Voice of Volunteering, Issue no 11, December 2007

Inaugural NSW Volunteer of the Year Announced
The Centre for Volunteering

New South Wales' first winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award was today presented with her prize.

She is Mary Mamour who, for the last four years, has been a liaison officer with the South Sudanese community in western Sydney, where she negotiates with the police, Centrelink, employment agencies and people in her community to find jobs for those at risk. 

The award was presented by Volunteering Minister, the Hon Linda Burney, at a function in State Parliament on International Volunteer Day.

Senior Volunteer of the Year is Laurie Smith from Port Macquarie who has been a volunteer for the Aunties and Uncles Cooperative for the last 15 years. He has mentored three troubled boys and continues to keep in contact with them.

Youth Volunteer of the Year Amanda Grant works in six organisations at any given time, including the Salvation Army and Meals on Wheels. She founded the Tradies Community Service Volunteer Program and recently organised a charity fund for a local disability school.

Find out more about our winners and view photos from the ceremony.

Become a Mentor
By HOME Hospice

HOME Hospice is a social venture committed to the philosophy of 'living our dying'. It provides support via a volunteer mentor who supports the carer of a dying loved one, as a knowledgeable friend. Mentors walk the journey with the carer enabling them to tap into local services and community resources, for example, coordinating offers of help from concerned neighbours and friends. Mentors are trained in providing guidance and information about educational resources to empower the carer in their labour of love. They understand the needs of carers and often have a personal experience from which to draw on. Many have been carers and/or cared for loved ones who have died at home. Visit www.homehospice.com.au for more information or to become a mentor.

New CEO at Volunteering Australia
By Volunteering Australia

Cary Pedicini joins Volunteering Australia with a significant background in the not-for-profit and government sectors in fields as diverse as sport and recreation, outdoor education, student accommodation, vocational education and training, employment and community services. Cary has held senior management positions with organisations such as the YMCA, the Department for Victorian Communities and, most recently, State Director for Mission Australia in Victoria. Read more

School of Volunteer Management (SVM) Training

December 2007

• Managing, Retaining & Recruiting Volunteers
  5 December, Lismore, for the Clarence Valley Council
• Bridge to Volunteering
  Last session is Friday, 7 December (starts again 18 January 2008)

Visit the SVM website to find out more about the above training.

Training for volunteers

The Certificate 1 in Active Volunteering (CAV 1) is a new, nationally accredited course designed especially for volunteers. It allows you to learn new skills or update your current skills. This certificate is a formal qualification providing a pathway to other vocational qualifications and employment opportunities.

Find out more about the Certificate 1 in Active Volunteering.

The Centre for Volunteering launches 2008 Events Calendar

It's not too late to include your event in The Centre's online 2008 Events Calendar! New events will be added to The Centre's website in early January 2008. Email Kristin Romanis with the following information about your event:

• Name of event
• Date of event
• Organisation responsible for the event
• Website link where additional details can be obtained.

Attention Volunteer Centre Networks
By Volunteering Australia

Volunteer Referral Services, Volunteer Centres or State Volunteer Centres can now list events, seminars and awards information on Volunteering Australia's (VA) National Volunteer Skills Centre 2008 Online Calendar. Email your event and training information to Carla Bruce-Lee.

The Centre for Volunteering's Networking Breakfasts

Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management in review
Tuesday, 19 February 2008, 8.30am–10.30am
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney

Kate Scholl from St Vincent de Paul and Amanda Gruhn from the Benevolent Society will share some of the ideas, questions and strategies discussed at the Annual Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management. They will pose a number of interesting questions to the group: Other than for financial reasons, why do we have volunteers? Do we have a limited perspective on the value and potential of our own profession? What is our attitude to the roles volunteers take up in our programs and in our organisations? It promises to be engaging, participatory and challenging.

RSVP today
All volunteer managers are very welcome to these breakfasts. Numbers are limited and booking is essential. Please order your $5 breakfast when booking. Tea and coffee are free. Email Alison Keene or phone 02 9261 3600.

2008 Networking Breakfast dates
Don't miss out on The Centre's Networking Breakfasts next year. Put the 2008 Breakfast dates in your diary.

National Volunteer Week 2008: Theme and promotional material
12–18 May 2008

The theme for National Volunteer Week 2008 is Volunteers Change our World. The emphasis of National Volunteer Week will be on thanking and recognising our volunteers. All organisations involving volunteers are encouraged to celebrate the week to promote volunteering in their organisation and the community, in whatever way they can. Find out more about the theme, history and purpose of National Volunteer Week and how you can be involved.

Volunteering Australia has the following items available to help you promote National Volunteer Week 2008:

• A3 & A4 colour poster (2 of each size per pack)
• 'Volunteers change our world' lapel pin (10 pins per pack)

The items can be ordered online at www.volunteeringaustralia.org from 23 November 2007 until 25 January 2008. All items will be delivered in February, allowing plenty of time to promote NVW. Get your orders in ASAP.

The Centre for Volunteering is taking a break

The Centre for Volunteering will close for Christmas holidays on Friday, 21 December 2007 and will re-open on Wednesday, 2 January 2008.

The Volunteer Referral Service will close on Friday, 14 December 2007 and will re-open on Monday, 14 January 2008. If you would like to advertise for volunteers, become a volunteer or attend Bridge to Volunteering, please contact the Volunteer Referral Service after Monday, 14 January 2008.

Fido jobs will be advertised in the Sydney Morning Herald throughout the holiday period so, if you have a volunteer job you would like to submit for consideration, please do so before Wednesday, 12 December 2007. Visit www.fido.com.au

The Centre for Volunteering's Christmas Party

The Centre for Volunteering is hosting a Christmas party for its in-house volunteers who volunteer at The Centre for Volunteering on a regular basis, board members and staff on Friday, 14 December 2007.

Volunteer Referral Service Report
By Alison Keene

The Centre's Volunteer Referral Service (VRS) is always happy to advertise your volunteer positions. Statistics gathered recently for the year to June 2007 indicate that the VRS has interviewed over 3,500 volunteers, but only had 492 volunteer jobs to offer them! 

So please put a note in your 2008 diaries to write job descriptions for any volunteer needs you have, and send them to the VRS. You can submit your volunteer job descriptions at www.volunteering.com.au

Volunteer job descriptions are not always easy to write, so please feel free to phone Alison Keene on 02 9261 3600 for assistance with writing them.

SCIP/Youth Report
By Jacinthe Brosseau

On 15 November, The Centre's Youth Volunteering Program Manager, Jacinthe Brosseau, gave a talk to the Year 11 student assembly at Sydney Secondary College, Blackwattle Bay Campus in Glebe. Thanks to funding received by City of Sydney, The Centre has been working closely with the school and its career adviser to develop their Year 11 Volunteering Program. After the assembly, Jacinthe met with a group of student career leaders to discuss student engagement in volunteering opportunities. Jacinthe would like to thank these students for their insights and for helping to drive the program in the school.

On 19 November, The Centre's SCIP team gave a talk about volunteering to Year 10 students at Bethlehem College in Ashfield, as part of their Careers Day.

On 20 November, Jacinthe facilitated The Centre's November Networking Breakfast Ensuring the future of volunteering: engaging young people as volunteers which examined the ins and outs of youth volunteering. The breakfast meeting was attended by 28 representatives of community organisations, councils and schools. The Centre would like to thank guest speaker Jess from The Inspire Foundation for her engaging presentation as well as the wonderful students from Liverpool Girls High School who attended and shared their experiences and views of volunteering.

What a busy girl – again on 20 November, Jacinthe gave a presentation to the City of Sydney's Youth Interagency Network at Redfern Community Centre. This group showed interest in The Centre's volunteering program for disadvantaged and at-risk youth and we look forward to establishing relationships with the various youth support services.

Training Course Developer – Expressions of interest
Applications close on Friday, 7 December 2007

Expressions of Interest are invited from experienced training course developers to develop a Certificate IV Course in Community Parenting. Sound knowledge of child care and parenting issues will be highly regarded. VETAB has approved the development of the course and the course developer is to document the course for accreditation by VETAB by 30 June 2008, and develop the supporting training materials by 30 September 2008. Find out more

Youth Volunteering Program Manager
This is a maternity leave position
Applications close on Friday, 7 December 2007

One of The Centre's priorities is to promote and facilitate the involvement of young people in their communities through volunteering initiatives. This position will be responsible for running the Student Community Involvement Program (SCIP), for implementing various youth-focused volunteering projects and for playing a consultative and advisory role with community organisations, schools, young people, youth services, local and state government relating to youth volunteering. Find out more

Thank you!
The Centre for Volunteering would like to thank its board, volunteers and staff for their tireless work and dedication the organisation and the volunteer sector in 2007. There's plenty of work to do in 2008!

© 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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