Opening up Opportunities
Paraxit’s Story:
Paraxit only immigrated to Australia late last year from Nepal, yet he is already contributing to the Australian community as a volunteer. Paraxit, who lives in Melbourne’s western suburbs, is helping refugees learn IT skills through volunteering at the New Hope Foundation.
Like many volunteers Paraxit combines his volunteering with studying and looking for work. Volunteer West works with hundreds of newly arrived migrants each year, like Paraxit, who are keen to volunteer as a way of learning more about the Australian community and as a way of giving their time and skills to their new country.
To assist newly arrived migrants Volunteer West has developed Opening up Opportunities – a guide to volunteering in Australia. The guide provides up-to-date and relevant information about how to volunteer. Please find attached a copy.
Over the past 12 months, Volunteer West has reversed the national trend and has experienced a significant increase in volunteer enquiries from newly arrived migrants and refugees. Around half of the enquiries to Volunteer West are now from newly arrived migrants putting up their hand to volunteer in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
It is well known that volunteering provides wide ranging benefits for both the volunteer and the wider community including:
- providing a sense of contribution
- building and sharing skills
- creating community connections
- increasing interpersonal skills
- improving social integration
- promoting inclusive social attitudes and
- reducing racism
Would you like to know more?
- could your organisation promote Opening up Opportunities – a guide to volunteering in Australia to new arrivals?
- would you like to receive copies of the guide?
- would you like to know more about becoming a culturally competent organisation?
Contact Volunteer West on 9687 7661
Add comment June 2, 2009
Volunteers respond to the bushfires
Over the past few weeks volunteers have been at the front of all our thoughts as we have witnessed the amazing response of volunteers in fighting the bushfires and helping to those in need.
Thousands of Victorians have put up their hand to help, and there are a number of ways you to can volunteer:
1. Bushfire assistance
At the moment with the major fire crisis under control, there is no immediate need for additional volunteers in the bushfire effected areas.
Over the weeks and months to come, opportunities may arise, such helping farmers re-plant trees and re-build fences. We will let you know as these volunteer opportunities come up.
2. Become an emergency volunteer
The wonderful organisations who respond to emergencies are always looking for new volunteers.
To find out more about the CFA, SES and Red Cross click on the links below or call the contact numbers listed.
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CFA – Click here for more information or phone 1800 232 636
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SES – Click here for more information or phone 1300 842 737
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Red Cross Emergency Services – Click here or phone 8327 7762
3. Volunteer in your local community
There are many volunteer opportunities across the western suburbs of Melbourne. Most of these roles involve a time commitment of 2 to 3 hours a week.
Current vacancies include:
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Visiting an elderly person who is isolated and lonely
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Helping children with their homework
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Assisting a newly arrived refugee learn English
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Mentoring a young person
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Teaching sewing to a refugee women’s support group
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Supporting families with a child with a disability
If you would like to find out any of these volunteer opportunities, please contact us at Volunteer West on 9687 7661. Our office hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Add comment March 12, 2009
Involving students as volunteers
Secondary and tertiary students are a wonderful source of volunteers – they bring great skills, enthusiasm and ideas.
However like all volunteers they have their particular needs. Many students are combining study and part-time work.
Below are some of the thoughts and experiences of more than 40 volunteer managers about how best to involve students as volunteers in your program.
Firstly a note about the difference between volunteering and student placements.
Student placements are required by some courses, are a set number of hours and require supervision. The student has set learning objectives.
Students volunteering is above and beyond any student placement required. A student may volunteer in an area related to their study or in a completely unrelated area.
Students – what are they looking for from volunteering?
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Work experience to add to their resume
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Opportunities to improve their knowledge and skill base, English language skills and access to training
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To get away from study!
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Increase their networks and contacts for future
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Testing the waters – try out different environments and types of roles
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Genuine desire to help out or make a difference
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A social experience as a group of friends volunteering
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Connection with community
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Skills for work – e.g. OHS, Industrial relations
Issues and barriers relating to students volunteering
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Over-committed with study, part-time work and social life
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Lack of resources – money, transport
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Availability changes – end of semester exams or changing work shifts
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Lack of longevity – 6 month maximum commitment (often shorter)
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Maintaining contact – try SMS or email
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Looking for ‘sexy’ roles
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Urgency to start – wanting to get started immediately – will often leave during the application/induction phase. So create systems that work for you and work for the young people. Perhaps set up a “try before you buy” option
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Don’t like reporting requirements and paperwork
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Confidence levels – some are over confident and some lack confidence!
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Consider pairing a younger volunteer with an older volunteer
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Consider the support needed for younger volunteers – when encountering your clients – be they refugees, elderly people, people with a disability. It may be the first time that they have met people in these situations and they need additional support and de-briefing to understand their experience.
Involving students under the age of 18
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Many organisations have policies that mean that only volunteers 18 or older can volunteer. Perhaps reconsider whether younger students could be involved in your organisation. Sometimes policies can be changed!
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When involving students under the age of 18 you need to get the permission of their parent/guardian.
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Police checks and Working with Children Checks are only the first step in providing a safe environment for your clients and younger volunteers. Child Wise has the Choose with Care resource which can assist your organisation develop child safe procedures.
How to recruit students
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Ring course coordinators and lecturers in subjects related to your organisation and arrange to talk to students at the beginning of classes. (Look up contact details on the relevant TAFE and University websites.)
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Posters – especially at TAFES and Uni’s, local shops, libraries, neighbourhood houses.
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Engage young people in promotion, and ideas for volunteer recruitment.
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Ensure your promotion material includes images of younger volunteers and language that relates to younger people.
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The internet is a great way to communicate with students. Advertise your roles for FREE on GoVolunteer and University websites:
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Get in contact with Church youth groups, sporting clubs or University residential colleges
Volunteer West – Volunteer Coordinator Network
Meets the 1st Thursday of each month from 10.30am – Noon. The network seeks to provide professional development, contacts and support. New members are always welcome. For more information contact Volunteer West on 9687 7661.
Add comment March 12, 2009
Promotion on a shoestring budget
Everyone in volunteer management works on a restricted budget – at the last western region volunteer coordinator network meeting we shared our top tips for producing effective promotional materials. For the full list check out our guide in the download box.
Producing great brochures, posters and fliers
- Keep words to a limit
- Make sure you convey what volunteers can get out of volunteering -eg: fun, friends, satisfaction
- Include the time commitment – eg: volunteer for only 2 hours a week!
- Use language relevant to your audience – eg: if you are keen for people from a CALD background say something like people with community language skills welcome.
- Include clear contact details – eg: to find out more phone 9687 7661 or txt 0404 828 908
- Getting good photos can be hard, try online photo libraries, they are cost effective and have a great range of photos – eg: www.istockphoto.com
- You can do double sided DL fliers rather than tri-fold A4 folded to DL to get across a snappy message, plus they are cheaper to print!
- Produce a bookmark rather than a flier.
- Circulate your brochures and fliers where you think they will work best – libraries, hairdressers, medical centres, uni’s etc….
Western Region Volunteer Coordinator Network
Meets the 1st Thursday of each month from 10.30am – Noon. The network seeks to provide professional development, contacts and support. New members are always welcome. For more information contact Volunteer West on 03 9687 7661.
Add comment September 18, 2008
Are you a volunteer coordinator looking for training?
As a volunteer coordinator you are often a jack of all trades – covering issues such as recruitment and retention, marketing and PR, insurance, and fundraising.
Volunteer West has developed a training calendar that includes training opportunities available throughout the western suburbs of Melbourne. Most of these training opportunities are free or low cost.
Upcoming training opportunities include:
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Get more media coverage
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ABC of a successful volunteer program
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Project management for community groups
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Understanding Islam
For more information download the Training Calendar from the download box in the right-hand column or phone Volunteer West on 9687 7661.
Add comment August 27, 2008
Only have a couple of hours to spare – you can still volunteer!
More than 5 million Australians volunteer each year – even if you only have a couple of hours to spare you can still get involved in volunteering. Many volunteer opportunities only take a time commitment of a couple of hours a week.
If you have work, study or family commitments you can volunteer in the evening or on weekends.
As a volunteer you can choose what opportunity interests you the most:
- Helping at a soup van
- Tutoring people in computer skills
- Being a mentor to a young person
- Helping people with disabilities get to the footie
- Planting trees
- Welcoming refugees to Australia
- Assisting at a homework club.
To discuss volunteer opportunities that are available in the western suburbs of Melbourne please contact Volunteer West on 9687 7661.
2 comments August 21, 2008
Retaining volunteers
Volunteer retention is an important issue for all volunteer coordinators – it takes less resources to retain great volunteers than to continually recruit and induct new volunteers.When retaining volunteers the first six months of their volunteer experience are critical.
The key factors to volunteer retention include:
- The welcome the volunteer receives
- The connection they feel to the organisation
- How needed the volunteers feel
- How useful the volunteers feel
To address these key factors the most important steps for volunteer retention occur before the volunteer even commences!
- Make sure the volunteer role is well thought out, has a defined need and will make a useful contribution to your organisation
- Have an organisational culture that welcomes and values volunteers, and considers them an important part of the team – this is reflected in how volunteers are treated by paid staff, the training provided and the recognition they receive
- Make the application process to become a volunteer as simple and quick as possible. Be upfront about how long it will take – so as not to loose the volunteers initial enthusiasm.
- Have a selection process – with selection criteria and clear expectations. Be prepared to say no if someone does not have the necessary skills or attitude.
Once a volunteer commences it is important to build the connection to your organisation.
- Provide information about what your organisation is doing and the importance of volunteers in achieving your mission
- Provide opportunities for volunteers to expand skills
- Create opportunities for social interaction between volunteers – encourage existing volunteers to welcome new volunteers
- Thank your volunteers
How to keep a volunteer working for you even if they leave!
Of course volunteers do leave – sometimes the role or organisation just isn’t right for them, sometimes life just takes over with changes in health, work, study or family commitments.
In saying goodbye and thanking your departing volunteers you have an opportunity to keep them as a supporter:
- Ask them to recommend volunteering to their friends and family
- Invite them to become a financial supporter
- Find out if they are interested in assisting any one off events or volunteer opportunities you may have
To discuss issues like volunteer retention and to meet fellow volunteer coordinators come along to the Western Region Volunteer Coordinator Network – first Thursday of each month. For more information contact Volunteer West on 9687 7661.
Add comment August 12, 2008
Immigrated to Australia last month – already volunteering!
Some of the most inspiring people I get to speak to are new immigrants to Australia. People who have chosen to make Australia their home and who are keen to volunteer as a way of learning about and making connections in their new country. I speak to people everyday who are putting up their hand to volunteer – some arrived in Australia last year, some last month and some only a fortnight ago.
The network had significant experience in welcoming new arrivals and great expertise was shared. The network also brainstormed topics to be included in a Welcome to Volunteering Guide for new arrivals. Volunteer West will compile the guide and circulate for everyone to utilise.
Trends noted in new arrival volunteering included:
- Refugee and humanitarian immigrants tend to volunteer within their own community – often in an informal way – supporting in each other as they settle into life in Australia
- Many refugees go on to volunteer with organisations that have assisted them in the settlement phase for example volunteering with AMES and the New Hope Foundation
- Involving people who were born in Australia, or those who have lived here for a number of years in programs to assist recently arrived refugees is a great way to help people make connections with the broader Australian community
- Many people who have been immigrants themselves are keen to help others through the settlement experience
- More than 100,000 skilled migrants have immigrated to Victoria over the past five years – the majority from India, China, UK and New Zealand. Many of these people are keen to volunteer within weeks of arriving as they seek to make connects and gain local experience. The internet and www.govolunteer.com.au is a great way of recruiting skilled migrants to volunteer roles.
The Western Region Volunteer Coordinator Network meets the 1st Thursday of each month from 10.30am – Noon. The network seeks to provide professional development, contacts and support. New members are always welcome. For more information contact Volunteer West on 03 9687 7661.
Add comment July 7, 2008
Motivations to volunteer
One of my favourite aspects of working at Volunteer West is talking to people who would like to get involved and volunteer.
I get to talk to people about their motivations to volunteer – and this can be truly inspiring. Below are some reasons people gave me last week about why they were keen to volunteer.
These reasons demonstrate the diversity of motivations and that there is no single or “right” reason to volunteer.
- I would like to help homeless people, because I have been there and know what it like.. so I would like to make a difference by volunteering.
- I have a previous experience in teaching. I am keen to do some voluntary work to increase my skills and serve someone with my experience.
- I am at a time in my life where I realise that I have more to give, I have every Monday off work and now would love the opportunity to be a friendly, caring, and regular face to a person who really don’t have a huge support network.
- Although not a refugee, I am a recent migrant myself and I understand how it feels to move somewhere completely unfamiliar with little support.
- I am a migrant myself, so I know how difficult it is to settle in a new environment. I will be happy to offer my time to show the newcomers around.
So whatever your motivation – find out more today! Phone Volunteer West on 9687 7661.
Add comment June 23, 2008
What do you think when you hear the word volunteer?
Volunteer? Does it bring to mind images of meals on wheels and country fire fighters?While not wanting to put down the life transforming work of the thousands of meals on wheels and CFA volunteers – volunteering is a much more rich and varied tapestry than stereotypes allow.
Today there are volunteers planting trees, training homeless young people in how to use computers, serving in op-shops and mentoring new parents.
Most volunteer opportunities only take a time commitment of a few hours a week – and many volunteer roles can be undertaken after office hours or on weekends. So if you are currently working or studying you can still get involved!
If you can’t make a weekly commitment – there may still be a volunteer opportunity to suit your availability.
If you would like to find out more about volunteer opportunities in the western region on Melbourne contact Volunteer West on 03 9687 7661.
Add comment June 12, 2008
