Celebrating and supporting our volunteers
Posted: Friday, 11 March 2011 | By: Kristina Keneally
Premier Kristina Keneally today announced $880,000 in funding to support volunteers and encourage more people to step forward to give their time to help others – as part of her volunteers policy.
In NSW, there are 1.7 million volunteers, who provide more than 241 million hours of voluntary work each year.
Ms Keneally’s Celebrating our volunteers plan will focus on four key areas:
Making volunteering easier by improving access to information;
Broadening the volunteer base and encouraging new volunteering ventures;
Celebrating the contribution of volunteers; and
Supporting volunteering within community organisations and business.
It will also set a target to increase the proportion of the total community involved in volunteering by 10 per cent by 2016.
“From helping in our hospitals to visiting the elderly or looking after local bushland, there are so many areas of our society that depend on the work of volunteers,” Ms Keneally said.
“Without these volunteers there many areas of our society simply would not function – such as the Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service (SES) who rely on volunteers in times of emergency.
“They deserve both our support and our recognition for their hard work.”
“Many people struggle to balance their volunteering activities with their work and family commitments – which makes it hard for volunteering organisations to regenerate their base,” Ms Keneally said.
“Put simply, we need to attract a whole new generation of volunteers.”
The $880,000 in funding will help increase volunteer numbers by providing:
- $100,000 to improve the NSW Government volunteering website to match volunteers with organisations;
- $25,000 to sponsor training opportunities for volunteers in regional centres;
- $75,000 to pilot a volunteer performance management training program;
- $25,000 in seed funding to promote volunteering in Aboriginal, multicultural, disability and youth organisations;
- $110,000 for organisations to develop plans to attract a broader cross section of the community;
- $30,000 to support and widely promote corporate volunteering efforts;
- $20,000 for the Centre for Volunteering to enhance the profile of the NSW Volunteering Awards;
- $75,000 to partner with the volunteering sector to promote the International Year of the Volunteer 10th anniversary activities;
- $200,000 in one-off grants for Volunteer Resource Centre staff to conduct training and outreach activities;
- $50,000 in grants for local volunteering groups for one off projects; and
- $170,000 to pilot two volunteer partnership hubs based on an innovative UK model.
Ms Keneally said that increasing volunteer numbers would also help to build a more inclusive and compassionate society.
“Volunteering can reduce social isolation, raise self-esteem, lower stress, and improve overall health and wellbeing, both for those involved and people in the community,” Ms Keneally said.
“Our Celebrating our volunteers plan will ensure that our volunteers are provided with the support that they need now and into the future.”
This funding was approved prior to Friday 4 March 2011, in accordance with the NSW Government’s caretaker conventions.
For more information visit Celebrating our Volunteers
Background notes
- Australian Bureau of Statistics data reports 5.2 million people (34 per cent) of the Australian population aged 18 years and over, participate in voluntary work.
- They contributed an average of 136 hours each per year or 2.6 hours per week.
- The comparison of 1995, 2000 and 2006 data reveal that volunteer rates increased from 24 per cent to 32 per cent and to 34 per cent between these three time points.
- Women are more likely than men to volunteer and on average volunteer more hours.
- Around 36 per cent of women are volunteers compared to 32 per cent of men.
- People aged 35 to 44 make up 43 per cent of volunteers, more than any other age group, with people aged 45 to 54 the second highest group (39 per cent).
- Seniors spent more time doing voluntary work than younger adults.
Labor has a strong record in supporting volunteering in NSW, including:
- Introducing an $8 million student volunteering program;
- Introducing the RFS & SES cadetship programs in schools, which have involved over 2,500 students since 2004;
- Launching the Premier’s Student Volunteering Awards;
- SES Indigenous and CALD Volunteer Induction Training Programs to increase the number of Aboriginal people volunteering for the SES;
- Creating a Volunteering Unit to co-ordinate programs across Government;
- Implementing key recommendations of the NGO Red Tape Reduction Report, including the introduction of standard funding application forms and simplifying administrative requirements for NGOs funded by Government.
Tags: policy, volunteers