#GlobalApplause to our volunteers

The United Nations designated December 5 as International Volunteer Day since 1985

This international observance day celebrates the power and potential of volunteerism. It is an opportunity for volunteers, and volunteer-involving organisations to raise awareness of, and gain recognition for, the contribution they make to their communities.

Together with other organisations such as UN Volunteers, we are orchestrating a round of #GlobalApplause to recognise all volunteers everywhere and the contribution they make.

Want to get involved?

It can be as easy getting the word out through your social media, email or website.

Here are some images you can use across any of these avenues:

IVD 2016 logo

IVD 2016 email banner

IVD 2016 web banner (various sizes)

If you’re going to use social media – remember to use the following hashtags:

#GlobalApplause & #IVD2016 & show your applause via the actual emoji – !

Australia is a hugely diverse country. Australians speak more than 200 languages other than English at home, and come from more than 240 countries of birth. Over half a million people identified as Indigenous (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) in the 2011 Census.

Both culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and Indigenous communities in Australia are strongly involved in volunteering and giving, yet there has been little recent research into volunteering and giving in these communities. The Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioned the Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia (CIRCA) to conduct research into volunteering and giving in these communities in order to support the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership. The Partnership provides advice to Government on strategies for growing philanthropy and volunteering, corporate social responsibility and partnerships between business and community organisations.

Methodology and aims

The research took place from October 2015 to February 2016 in urban, rural and remote locations across Australia. The core features of the research were:

• A literature review
• Focus groups with 96 CALD community members and 44 Indigenous community members
• Forums and focus groups with CALD and Indigenous volunteers
• Consultations with 27 representatives of peak bodies and philanthropic organisations.

The main aims of this research were to:

• Gain insight into what the term ‘volunteering’ means within these communities
• Develop a better understanding of volunteering and giving within CALD and Indigenous communities
• Understand the challenges to participating in volunteering and giving in these communities, and identify enablers to growing volunteering and giving among these communities
• Better understand how the philanthropic sector engages with CALD and Indigenous communities.

Click to access the report

This year’s theme for International Volunteer Managers Day is Volunteer Management: One Job. Many Hats.

Join us to celebrate all the talented & multi skilled volunteer managers this #IVMDay16, 5 November.

For more information and resources see Click here and  IVMDay to follow on Twitter.

Representatives from Horsham Rural City Council, West Wimmera Shire, Wimmera Health Care Group, Wimmera Primary Care Partnership, Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital and Hindmarsh Shire presented a pilot proposal to Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan in Horsham on Thursday.

Volunteering Western Victoria chief executive Julie Pettett said lack of transport was a huge issue for communities.

“It puts pressure on people to leave towns,” she said. “They leave communities where they have personal support and because of health move to Horsham. Suddenly other services are required because they’re socially isolated.”

Volunteering Western Victoria chair Venkat Peteti said the pilot scheme would also help connect disengaged youth access education.

The scheme combined the resources of volunteers, councils, health providers and education services to pilot three transport routes encompassing smaller Wimmera towns; one from Kaniva to Horsham, one from Edenhope to Horsham and a service to transport patients home from health services.

The pilot comes after two and a half years of work and would make use of existing infrastructure and executive cars out of hours to transport patients home after emergency visits.

The group wants support from the state government and Public Transport Victoria with $250,000 over two years.  Ms Allan said the organisation was well ahead of other areas in its ideas.

“We know we’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said. “We’ve got really strong health services in the region and it’s about how we can help connect with those.”

Photo courtesy of the Wimmera Mail Times