Acting CEO of Volunteering ACT Susan Helyar says there’s more than one way to volunteer and that not having an abundance of time shouldn’t be a barrier.
“There’s always a need for people to join organisations and contribute through volunteering, and volunteer organisations are always open to new people coming along and learning about what’s needed and building skills and knowledge to contribute,” Ms Helyar says.
“It makes a massive contribution, from everything to social welfare, sports, cultural institutions – and the emergency services from the extreme weather events from this year has been important work.”
You can build new skills, social connections, knowledge base, and open your eyes to some lives and circumstances that you may not have been otherwise exposed to, she says.
Volunteering ACT’s goal for the year has been focusing on improving the diversity of people who connect to volunteering and improving the ability of organisations to be inclusive.
Ms Helyar says it’s been “really heartening” to see the influx of diverse people working in many different organisations and being recognised as nominees and recipients of awards.
The 2022 Volunteering ACT Awards held earlier this month illustrated the increased diversity within the sector.
The recipient of Volunteering ACT’s 2022 Volunteer of the Year was Deborah Martin. Ms Helyar says Ms Martin’s decades-long contribution to reducing the risk of First Nation peoples having contact with the justice system and in the child protection space made her more than worthy of the acknowledgement.
The Volunteering ACT Award winners for 2022 are: Volunteer Leadership Award – John Butcher from Oakey Hill ParkCare Group; Innovation Award – Share the Dignity, ACT Team; Inclusion Award – Chris Van Reyk from Community Services #1; COVID-19 Relief and Resilience Award – ACT State Emergency Service Volunteers; Senior Volunteer of the Year Award – Angela Brown from Australia’s Consumer Advisory Committee; Junior Volunteer of the Year Award – Alexandra Banks from Roundabout Canberra; Volunteer Team of the Year Award – Indigenous Reading Project, Engagement Team.
If you’re thinking about becoming a volunteer in Canberra, Ms Helyar recommends checking out the Volunteering ACT website, which lists vacancies within the community.
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