Canberrans are being encouraged to make 2026 their year to volunteer, as National Volunteer Week, starting today, celebrates the thousands of locals who give up their time to strengthen the community.
National Volunteer Week runs until Sunday. This year’s theme is Your Year to Volunteer.
“National Volunteer Week reminds us of the vital role volunteers play in strengthening the wellbeing of the communities we serve,” VolunteeringACT CEO Jean Giese said.
“VolunteeringACT thanks every volunteer for their time, skills, and generosity every day.”
VolunteeringACT will hold its annual flagship event, the Volunteering Conference, at the University of Canberra’s Ann Harding Conference Centre on Tuesday.
The keynote speaker is Trish Carling, winner of the Canberra Region 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award and the first ACT nominee to the inaugural Australian Volunteer of the Year Award – also happening this week at Government House.
Three-quarters of ACT residents aged over 15 years — 279,000 people — volunteered in 2023, across arts, sports, schools, health, events, the environment, emergency services, and the community sector. They contributed more than 63 million hours and generated more than $14 billion of value for the Canberra Region, the State of Volunteering in the ACT Report 2024 showed.
“Put simply: without volunteers, Canberra would grind to a halt,” Ms Giese said.
78 per cent of volunteers intend to increase their volunteering hours over the coming year, and 41 per cent of people not currently volunteering intend to take up volunteering.
“In spite of all the volunteering done by Canberrans, we still have gaps in the volunteering roles, recruitment, and retention created by demographic and technology changes and the challenges of the current cost of living crisis,” Ms Giese said. “Our Volunteering Conference bridges this gap for our volunteer leaders across the volunteering sector.”
Suzanne Orr MLA, Minister for Disability, Carers and Community Services, thanked the thousands of Canberrans who give their time to support others and strengthen the community.
“Volunteering is a powerful way to meet new people, learn new skills and give back, while also supporting organisations that rely on volunteers to deliver essential services,” Ms Orr said.
“You don’t need special experience or large amounts of time to make a meaningful difference — there are volunteering opportunities to suit all interests, abilities and stages of life.”
The Government’s support for volunteering is guided by the ACT Volunteering Strategy 2024–2034, delivered in partnership with VolunteeringACT. The 2025 Progress Report highlights progress across volunteer experience, community impact, and sector sustainability.
The Progress Report shows events such as the National Multicultural Festival, Floriade, Enlighten and Reconciliation Day connect many Canberrans to volunteering.
The ACT Government has also supported expanded training and capacity building across the sector. VolunteeringACT delivered 51 training sessions to volunteers and volunteer managers in 2025, a significant increase from previous years, Ms Orr said.
For more information about volunteering opportunities, visit https://volunteeringact.org.au/volunteers/find-an-opportunity/
