Dear Valued Members, Supporters and Friends,

Welcome to the April issue of The Voice of Volunteering.

Last week Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Hon Victor Dominello, launched the state-wide roll out of Timebanking to  Albury/Wodonga, Auburn, Bega, Blue Mountains, Burwood, Cumberland/Prospect, Eastern Beaches, Fairfield, Foster/Tuncurry, Hawkesbury, Hurstville, Kempsey, Kiama, Lower North Shore, Macarthur, Nepean/Penrith, Northern Beaches, Rockdale, Ryde, Shellharbour, South Eastern Sydney, Sutherland, Sydney, Tamworth/North West, The Hills, Northern Rivers, Wagga Wagga, Walcha, West Wyalong, and Wollongong. Timebanking is an innovative NSW Government initiative that allows volunteers to earn and exchange ‘time credits’. Please visit  www.timebanking.com.au for more information.

We at The Centre have a busy few weeks coming up with National Volunteer Week commencing 12 May and the launch of our 2014 Volunteer of the Year Awards. I hope you will be able to join us for the launch event on 12 May where Minister Dominello will announce some exciting new initiatives.

Call for Expressions Of Interest
The annual Ignite Volunteering Conference is scheduled for Thursday 10 July. I am calling for expressions of interest for papers and presentations for the concurrent sessions at the Conference.  Streams will focus on the following areas:

• Latest research
• Engaging youth in volunteering
• Encouraging diversity in Volunteering
• Recruit, retain, release!
• Engaging with Government agencies
• Basics of volunteer management
• Big ideas in Volunteering

I welcome any suggestions for other streams that may be of interest.
Please contact me via email at grygate@volunteering.com.au with your EOI. Deadline COB: 16 May 2014. 

Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC)
The Community Council for Australia recently coordinated a response to the Prime Minister on the value of the Australian Charities and Not-for Profits Commission. Volunteering Australia signed on behalf of the State Peaks. Read the letter here:

Finally, I recommend you register for the IAVE Conference 2014. The International Association for Volunteer Effort has engaged some wonderful keynote speakers including the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG and Jody Broun. I hope to see you on the Gold Coast in September.

Gemma Rygate

Join the Hon. Victor Dominello, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister for Citizenship and Communities, for the launch of National Volunteer Week 2014 and the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards.

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards program is an initiative of The Centre for Volunteering, the peak body for volunteering in NSW.
Now in its eighth year, this state-wide Award program recognises and thanks volunteers in NSW who generously give more than 235 million work hours each year in NSW, contributing an extraordinary $5 billion to the State’s economy.

The Award program is generously sponsored by the NSW Government’s Office of Communities and ClubsNSW, the industry body which represents the state’s 1400 not-for-profit clubs.
Together lets celebrate the work of these wonderful individuals who do so much to make a difference in the lives of others and the overall spirit of the community.

Please join us
Date:  Monday 12 May, 2014
Time:  9.30am - 11.00am
Location: Level 41, Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place, NSW, 2000

Register to attend

Exciting news! The Centre for Volunteering’s Youth Volunteering Team has won the City of Sydney Betty Makin Youth Group Award for Contribution to the Community. Thank you to the City of Sydney for recognising the important work done by our dedicated youth volunteers. Congratulations Lauren McQueen, Kirralee Phillips, Nick Novi, as well as all our wonderful youth volunteers past and present.

Through various youth and student volunteering initiatives, and with no dedicated funding, The Centre for Volunteering resources, promotes and supports youth volunteering in the City of Sydney as well as in the rest of NSW. Based in The Centre’s offices in The Rocks, the volunteers in the Youth Volunteering team assist in various ways including: helping young people connect with volunteering opportunities, mapping out opportunities for young people to volunteer, assisting with events, developing youth volunteering print collateral, developing content for the Youth Volunteering Facebook page, research, evaluation and administration. The Youth Volunteering team also helps run the Intro. to Volunteering Program, an educational program that looks to develop young people’s awareness and understanding of what volunteering is all about.

The Youth Volunteering team provides an important youth voice and advocacy role for both The Centre itself and the wider volunteering sector, ensuring that we engage with young volunteers in a positive, meaningful, fun and rewarding way that benefits everyone involved.

Recruiting and interviewing potential volunteers is always a challenge for any organisation. Michael Buggy from the Ankali Project and Avril Samuels from The Centre For Volunteering's Referral Service will discuss their processes and tips and pitfalls to look out for.

Date: Tuesday 20 May, 2014

Time: 2pm

Location: The Centre for Volunteering, Level 3, 40 Gloucester Street, The Rocks

Register to attend

Michael Buggy is a social worker with over 30 years experience in both Australia and the United Kingdom.
For the last 14 years, he has been the manager of the Ankali Volunteer Project at the Albion Centre, which is a facility of the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District within the NSW Ministry of Health. Ankali recruits, trains and supports volunteers who in turn provide social and emotional support to people living with HIV and AIDS.
In addition to his management role and carrying a clinical case load, he has also developed projects and services on behalf of the NSW Ministry of Health, has undertaken policy development work for the World Health Organization, and has been involved in collaborative work with the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, the Volunteer Bureau of the Thai Red Cross Society, and the Papua New Guinea Health Department.

Avril Samuels is the Manager of the The Centre for Volunteering's Volunteer Referral Service.

Register Now!

Are you a regional Volunteer Referral Service that has a program you want to highlight? Perhaps you have enountered a star volunteer that you'd like to recognise? 

If you have a piece of news or something you'd like to share, drop us a line. We'd love to highlight the valuable work that the regional Volunteer Referral Services are doing in their communities.

Child related workers and volunteers who are in the second industry sector to be phased-in to the new Working With Children Check system, are encouraged to start their online application process. 

Child-related workers and volunteers in the following groups need to obtain and provide their application or clearance number to their employer or relevant organisation for online verification by 31 March 2015:

• Child development and family welfare services
• Religious services (work in roles including youth groups, youth camps, teaching children and child care)
• Residential services
• Transport services for children

Applicants should allow four weeks to receive their Working With Children Check results.

“The Office of the Children’s Guardian provides organisations that work with children free online tutorials and information sessions to help them understand what they should do to comply with the Working With Children Check.”

For more information and help with completing a new Working With Children Check go to www.newcheck.kids.nsw.gov.au or phone 02 9286 7219.

Part Time Volunteer Coordinator
Applications close: 5pm Monday 19th May 2014

• You are passionate about supporting older people and people with a disability to live safely and independently for longer.
• You are fun, motivated and value team work.  You believe in the power of volunteering.

Inner West Neighbour Aid is seeking a proactive, enthusiastic and professional Volunteer Coordinator. The position requires someone who is versatile, enjoys working with people and has a great sense of humour.
Inner West Neighbour Aid is a fully incorporated community organisation that provides social support and home maintenance services to older people, people with disabilities and their carers living in the Inner West.
The role of the Volunteer Coordinator is to lead the recruitment, mentoring, supervision and recognition of our volunteers.

Applications must address the selection criteria and include a cover letter and resume.  Applicants must be Australian Citizens or have an Australian working visa.  The preferred applicant will be subject to a Police Check. 
To obtain a Job Description go to www.iwna.com.au.  If you require more information contact Allison Yee-Brogan, General Manager on 0416 455 584.

How are you going to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of your volunteers during National Volunteer Week?
Nothing says “thank you” like our beautifully designed lapel pins. These pins are an expression of an organisation's gratitude for the loyalty and dedication of volunteers powering our communities.
Our volunteer pins are a great memento of National Volunteer Week, and with everyone wanting to get their hands on them, stock is limited.
Go to www.volunteeringaustralia.org/shop/ to secure yours today.

National Volunteer Week 2014 campaign resources are now available on the newly launched Volunteering Australia webpages dedicated to the week. Resources include four posters, a pro forma media release, access to the NVW2014 logo in a variety of formats, Certificates of Appreciation and invitations for your NVW2014 event.

Productivity is not about managing your time - it's how you manage your choices, actions, habits, attention and energy in a world of overload.

Not enough time in your day to do everything? Want some foolproof techniques to take your productivity through the roof?
If that's you, you're in luck! Graham Allcott is one of the world's most inspiring speakers on how to change the way you work to improve productivity and make it fun. His highly engaging, innovative approach to an age old problem will have you bursting to put ideas into practice, so don't miss this opportunity.

Date: Thursday 8th May 2014
Time: 9:00am - 4:30pm
Cost: $220.00 (Price inc GST)
Location: Park Royal, Darling Harbour, 150 Day Street, Sydney
Register for this Masterclass
 

The School is again offering the very popular and successful Speak Up! Speak Out! 1 Workshop.

“It was amazing to see the achievement in such a short space of time.”
Malalai Ebrahimi, KYDS (Kuring-gai Youth Development Service)

Learn:

•     Impromptu and prepared speaking
•     Overcoming nerves
•     Top ten tips
•     Performance sabotage
•     Linguistic traits and delivery drawbacks
•     Practice with feedback

Date: Wednesday 14 May, 2014

Time: 9:30am - 1pm

For more information and enrolment please visit: The School of Volunteer Management

Most community organisations organise events or fundraisers of some kind. Your organisation may hold an event to raise money for its activities or a particular cause, or just to promote the great work it does.

Facilitated by Not-for-profit Law, this seminar will focus on a range of legal issues that community organisations should consider before running an event.

Date: Wednesday 14th May 2014
Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm
Cost: $50/$100
Location: TressCox Lawyers, Level 16, 19 Martin Place, Sydney
Click here for more information and to register

WHO IS THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR? 

Conference streams will be of particular interest to

• National Volunteer Centres
• Corporations Engaged in Employee Volunteering, Corporate and Social Responsibility, or with Company Grant Making Foundations
• Philanthropists, Councils or Philanthropic Associations, Grant Making Foundations
• Government representatives both Parliamentarians and Public/Civil Servants especially those engaged in policy making
• Leaders in Volunteering Involving Organisations
• Academics Researching in the Area of Volunteering

Read more about the Program

The program will address volunteering in capacity building, in building corporate and social responsibility in employee volunteering and inter-sector collaboration, and in indigenous volunteering experiences both traditional and contemporary. Volunteering Victoria has been accepted to present a session on the development and outcomes of the Imagine the possibilities campaign.. Register here.

The Sydney 2014 Rotary International Convention is being held from 29 May to 4 June at Sydney Olympic Park. 
The Host Organising Committee are looking for experienced volunteers to coordinate small teams of volunteers at both Lidcombe and Central Stations assisting delegates travelling to the Convention.  Assistance is also required to manage a larger team of volunteers at Sydney Olympic Park for the duration of the Convention. 
Volunteers will need to be skilled at managing small or large groups of volunteers to ensure that the event runs smoothly.    Ideally volunteers will need to commit at least 20 hours between the hours of 8am and 5.30pm during the Convention.  This is a great opportunity to be part of a significant event being held in Sydney

For more information, please contact The Centre for Volunteering Referral Service on 02 9261 3600 and quote Job Nos 8525, 8523 and 8520

The Football Club 2015 (FC2015), Official Volunteer Program of AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015, applications are now open!

FC 2015 is the team of volunteers that will be the driving force behind AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015.

It’s Australia’s newest football team and it is unlike any other – taking to the field with 1,300 players and performing a crucial role in the biggest tournament Australia’s ever hosted, without actually kicking a ball. “Playing” in the tournament colours of blue, red and yellow, FC 2015 is set to be the heart and soul of Australia’s biggest festival of football next summer, when Asia’s top 16 teams head Down Under to play 32 matches in 23 days across five host cities.

Our team will be driven by passion, determination and enthusiasm which will help to deliver an amazing, world-class event.

There will be a wide variety of roles available to volunteers across multiple areas, each requiring different skills, knowledge and experience. These areas include:
• Accreditation
• Competitions
• Information, Technology and Communication
• Marketing
• Media Operations
• Medical Services & Doping Control
• Protocol
• Training Sites
• Travel and Accommodation Services
• Venue Operations
• Workforce

The success of the Asian Cup will be dependent on a huge team effort and we encourage anyone passionate about football to sign-up to be part of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

If you know anyone who would like to be part of football history, please direct all enquiries to www.afcasiancup.com/volunteering