Volunteering: What's in it for me?
By Brian Milroy
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word 'community' as "joint ownership, identity of character and a fellowship in which all present are joined". Judging by the amount of time Australians give in order to help each other, they have a tremendous sense of community.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, currently over 30% of our adult population gives part of their time volunteering in the community and about 700 million hours are formally volunteered by Australians to not-for-profit organisations each year.
What is it that makes ordinary people put aside the sense of self in favour of lending a hand and helping somebody else?
According to Gwenda Lawther, head of The Centre for Volunteering's School of Volunteer Management, people from different walks of life volunteer for different reasons. "Nobody denies the warm and fuzzy feeling one gets from giving," she said. "But the fact is that there can be real tangible benefits from volunteering and these tend to be different for different people."
"For many, it helps to improve learning and work skills while for others it's a way of improving social contact while doing something useful." She says volunteering can be a vital tool in helping people new to Australia integrate socially into the community and workforce. "We get a lot of migrants as volunteers," Gwenda said. "It helps them to understand how Australia works and what is acceptable in the workplace. Volunteering can be a real learning experience for people new to this country."
"Every country and culture has its own unwritten rules on how its community lives and works and these are not always apparent to people just arriving in Australia. Volunteering can be a good rehearsal for the paid workplace because it is a workplace. Here you can learn what is acceptable and what is not, how to socialise with others and even on occasions, what is right to wear."
Gwenda said volunteering can be a similar help to young school leavers waiting to enter the paid workforce. "Socially, it can be a big jump from school to the workplace. Many kids don't have a clue on what is expected of them or how to behave towards bosses and other employees," she said. "Volunteer work can help with these issues and help them to learn and develop skills which can benefit them when entering the paid workforce."
For many, the single, biggest benefit to volunteering is having your skills valued by others. This has proven to be particularly important for those retired or between jobs. At such times, volunteering can help a person to feel valued and useful.
"Many people who retire don't want to give up work altogether. If they are forced to retire, they often feel that their work experience is wasted or of no value," Gwenda said. 'Volunteering can be a great way of restoring self-esteem and a sense of self worth."
"Many of our valued volunteers come from the ranks of the retired and the unemployed. These people bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge, which is greatly valued by not-for-profit organisations in Australia."
Whatever the reason a person volunteers, finding the right volunteer job is simply a matter of asking the right questions. What is it that interests you, what skills and talents do you have and what are you passionate about?
There is no doubt that volunteering is a two-way street. For the volunteer, it is a means of building self-esteem and confidence, learning social and workplace skills, meeting new people and helping someone else. Most of all, it is being an active part in the community.
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