Celebrating their efforts: National Volunteer Week kicks off with celebrations from May 15 to 21

Australia’s biggest celebration of regional volunteers has started and is the perfect time to reflect on those who dedicate their time to make country and metro communities better places to live and work. From May 15 to 21, events will be held across the nation to mark National Volunteer Week and to acknowledge the more than five million people who generously give their time to make a difference in community organisations, groups, clubs and as individuals. WA Volunteering Minister Stephen Dawson this week launched the State’s new Volunteering Strategy Action Plan 2023-26 this week, in a bid to support the WA Volunteering Strategy launched in 2017. Mr Dawson said the new plan was created in response to the changing needs of volunteers and to acknowledge the unforeseen challenges of natural disasters and the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. He said the State Government would continue to ensure that volunteering was promoted, supported and valued, with the plan focused on delivering initiatives during the next three years to meet six key outcomes. “This action plan outlines a number of initiatives during the next three years that will help volunteers and volunteer organisations, so the sector can continue to grow and thrive,” Mr Dawson said. “The value volunteers bring to WA cannot be overstated and the McGowan Government is committed to supporting the sector.” The action plan focuses on delivering initiatives over the next three years to meet six key outcomes. Mr Dawson said 25 activities, a mix of strategic initiatives and on-ground projects, will lead to a State-wide, whole-of-government approach to supporting, recognising and promoting volunteering across WA. “Volunteers play a significant role by building community capacity and increasing self-sufficiency and inclusiveness through active social and civic participation,” he said. “The State Government aims to encourage future opportunities to collaborate and innovate on volunteering activities across WA.” A new report from Volunteering Australia, the peak body for volunteering in Australia, features the latest volunteering data that reveals key insights into the motivations and types of volunteering undertaken in Australia. It revealed the average volunteer was an “educated woman” aged more than 55 and born in Australia or an English-speaking country, living in a regional area and working in paid employment. Volunteering Australia chief executive Mark Pearce said volunteers were often the invisible part of the national workforce, but were essential to communities, especially at a time of rising living costs. Mr Pearce called on Australians to become “change-makers” in the community. “The wonderful thing about volunteering is it’s profoundly personal,” he said. “It’s one-to-one or one-to-many and it’s built around your interests, your passions, your hopes and aspirations for the future.” He said as need in the community increased, the need for volunteers became “all the more important”. Mr Pearce said the data revealed that nearly three-quarters or 72 per cent of volunteers were motivated by the desire to do something for the local community. The report also revealed the average volunteer profile may change in coming years. Among those that volunteered last year, individuals aged more than 65 were more likely to step back from volunteering during the next five years — relative to those aged 35 to 44 years. It also revealed that individuals born overseas were more likely to step up their volunteering commitments during the next five years — compared with those born in Australia. To find out more about the Plan, visit wa.gov.au/government/publications/wa-volunteering-strategy-and-wa-government-action-plan