Let's
celebrate National Volunteer Week, 15–21 May 2006
By The Centre for Volunteering
National Volunteer Week is celebrated annually in May to promote volunteering. It is the perfect time for you to discover how you can Change
Your World.
Volunteering can deliver a wealth of personal benefits including improvements in self-worth, great fun, friendships and job opportunities while giving you the chance to get involved with your community.
While all communities in Australia face a unique range of challenges, there's one challenge they all have in common – the need for volunteers. Responding to different community challenges demands the time and effort of many different people.
Volunteering addresses community challenges large and small ranging from building a new town hall to asking for an extra helping hand at your local school's pedestrian crossing. Volunteer organisations and assignments include all areas such as welfare, education, conservation, emergency services, sport and the arts.
Anyone can volunteer and all types of people get involved. Volunteering is carried out by young people, seniors, people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, people with children or those with other caring responsibilities, employed people and unemployed people.
Becoming a volunteer
Finding the right volunteering opportunity is simply a matter of asking the right questions:
- What interests, beliefs, skills or values do you have?
- What community challenges overlap with what you want to do?
- What skills do you have that could be useful in your community?
You can also do our online skills self-assessment Skills
Passport. It's a great way to assess how your skills and experiences can be applied to your volunteer work and your paid employment.
Your next step is to find out what volunteer roles are available. Browse
our list of hot
volunteer jobs or search Seek
Volunteer or GoVolunteer to
find a role that interests you.
Tell us about yourself and what you want to do by completing our volunteer registration form. When we've received your application, we will make a date and time to interview you over the phone or at our Sydney office.
During your interview you can tell us about your skills, interests and availability and we'll try to match you to a volunteer role. We can refer you to your nearest volunteer referral agency in NSW if Sydney is too far away for you.
As soon as we've matched you to a role, we will let the organisation know you have been referred to them. Contact the organisation as soon as possible to express your interest in the position and to arrange a suitable time for your face-to-face interview with the contact person.
We recommend that you attend our free Bridge to Volunteering talk for new volunteers held every Friday between 10.30am–12.30pm before you start your new role. Bookings are essential. Please phone (02) 9261 3600.
So get online, find a volunteer role and start changing your world today!
The Centre
for Volunteering [ABN 28 002 416 024]
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
T: 02 9261 3600 | F: 02 9261 4033 | E: info@volunteering.com.au
www.volunteering.com.au