EPISODE 2 - The Rally

Adventure. Community. Hope. 

See what Riley and the Volunteer Resistance are up to in this action-packed installment of our Volunteering Banned comic EPISODE 2 - The Rally.

Have a read and let us know what you think should happen next in the comments below.

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Riley's Vlog #1 - Young People as Volunteers

Here it is... my first vlog!

Today I talk about one of the documents that Theo salvaged when the Big Bad Baron's minions trashed his volunteer management archives and destroyed the Volunteer Hub.

That document is Volunteering Qld's 'Young People as Volunteers' report. Watch as I explore how the Volunteer Resistance has put their five stage model into practice.

Together we can create a world where everyone can make a difference... Riley

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UQ Volunteer Expo 2012 - Recap

On 8 August 2012 the University of Queensland (UQ) held its fourth annual UQ Volunteer Expo.

The expo is designed to give UQ students insights into the benefits of volunteering and help them connect with nonprofits offering volunteering opportunities. Volunteering helps students to build up resumes, make a difference in their local community, gain valuable work skills, expand networks and provides career pathways.

The day was a great success with 62 nonprofits including the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Oxfam, Boys Town and Assistance Dogs Australia on hand to offer volunteering information and advice. And thousands of students came along to learn about the positive difference volunteering could make to their lives.

The most inspiring part of the UQ Volunteer Expo was the enthusiasm and eagerness of the students, with many signing up to the Volunteering Qld mailing list to learn more about volunteering.

Prior to the expo Volunteering Qld ran a training session for participating nonprofits around engaging with student volunteers. Please read our Young People as Volunteers report for ideas, strategies, tools and examples in this area.

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Continued Safety Commitment to Volunteers

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten today welcomed the launch of a new work health and safety resource kit for volunteers.

“Australian volunteers contribute more than 700 million hours of unpaid work with an estimated unpaid labour cost of almost $15 billion each year,” Mr Shorten said.

“All workers, whether they are paid or unpaid, deserve to be safe at work.”

The new volunteer resource kit is part of the Gillard Government’s ongoing commitment to assist volunteers and organisations who engage them to understand the new work health and safety (WHS) laws.

The resource kit will help remove uncertainty about how the new WHS laws apply. This initiative came out of round table meetings hosted by Mr Shorten with representatives from peak volunteer organisations earlier this year.

Mr Shorten recognised the valuable contribution that volunteers make across Australia and the need for their protection at work.

“The new WHS laws ensure that volunteers have the same level of protection as paid workers,” Mr Shorten said.

“The comprehensive resource kit will help remove any confusion by clearly showing volunteers and the organisations covered by the WHS laws how to comply with work health and safety requirements.”

This kit complements Safe Work Australia’s volunteer telephone assistance line and email enquiry line and includes:

• a guide for volunteers;
• a guide for organisations that engage volunteers;
• a fact sheet; and 
• a PowerPoint presentation and podcast.

The Chief Executive Officer of Volunteering South Australia and Northern Territory and Chair of the Not for Profit Reform Council Working Group, Evelyn O’Loughlin reaffirmed support for the WHS laws.

“The volunteer resource kit will help our sector understand responsibilities and address any lingering confusion about the impact of harmonised WHS laws,” Ms O’Loughlin said.

“The launch of the resource kit builds on the excellent work already done by Safe Work Australia in providing information on the application of the new WHS laws to the volunteering sector.”

The complete resource kit and additional information on the WHS laws including FAQs is available from the Safe Work Australia website

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EPISODE 1 - The Beginning

The Volunteering Banned team, as part of Volunteering Qld TV, are proud to present the first comic for Volunteering Banned - EPISODE 1 - The Beginning.

Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below.

More Volunteering Banned goodness coming soon :)

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Innovate Research Bulletin - Leadership Edition

The ‘Innovate’ Research Bulletin is produced by Volunteering Qld’s Education, Policy and Research unit. It focuses on research into volunteering with particular emphasis on new approaches to volunteer engagement. It concentrates on policy and practice implications, with a Queensland focus.

Edition 6, August 2012 includes:

Volunteering Qld articles 
Adaptive Leadership for Volunteer Managers
What makes a leader? Understanding community leadership

Guest feature article 
Rethinking Volunteer Management as Leadership – in UnitingCare Community

Reflections
Leading leaders: Creating the movement

Download 'The Leadership Edition'

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Seniors Week 2012

Seniors Week 2012 will be celebrated from 18–26 August.

Seniors Week is an opportunity for Queenslanders of all ages and backgrounds to join together and celebrate the valuable contributions of seniors.

Seniors Week aims to:

• improve community attitudes towards older people and ageing
• facilitate community participation and activity by older people, including those from Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• enhance community connections and inter-generational relationships.

Each year, the Queensland Government supports community groups to celebrate Seniors Week by staging their own events. In 2012, community groups will hold more than 40 Seniors Week events across the state. Find out more at www.communities.qld.gov.au

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Launch - International Student Volunteer Initiative

Volunteering Qld has launched the International Student Volunteer Initiative, to build capacity around engaging international students as volunteers and to educate international students on volunteering practices in Australia.

Volunteering Qld CEO, Jelenko Dragisic, encouraged nonprofit organisations to be open to the skills, experiences and enthusiasm that international students can offer as volunteers.

“When international students volunteer, they bring increased cross-cultural understandings, can identify needs in the community and make your services relevant to a wider group, and they are professionals with high level skills,” said Mr Dragisic.

“By sharing our research and advice we hope more Queensland nonprofit organisations will be able to work more effectively with international students."

Volunteering Qld has taken a holistic approach to increase international student volunteering by also encouraging education providers to be actively involved.

"Volunteering provides international students with a unique opportunity to improve their professional and interpersonal skills and get to know the local community playing host to them. Whether it's related to their field of study or not, the real-world experience they gain by volunteering can be one of the most memorable times of their studies here."

“International students rely on education providers for advice on life and work in Australia, so we urge all Queensland education providers to help us encourage international students to volunteer.” Mr Dragisic concluded.

The International Student Volunteer Initiative includes detailed information kits for internationals students, nonprofit organisations and education providers, best practice case studies, international student volunteer profiles and workshops / masterclasses.

Find out more about the International Student Volunteer Initiative and how you can help us to promote international student volunteering.

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Weather the Storm - Women Prepare

Weather the Storm - Women Prepare brought women from local communities together to discuss, plan and support each other to be more prepared for disasters that might threaten the local area.

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in disasters. While natural disasters such as fire and flood have made headlines, there are many other possibilities. Prolonged loss of electricity, water or food supplies, pollution or chemical spills, pandemics and strike action are all possibilities. Any of these have the potential to seriously impact us at any time. We may become housebound for days, we may be unable to access basic services or food, we may need to evacuate or we may not have a home to live in.

Women, especially those with children, have particular needs and vulnerabilities during and after a disaster. Women also make a unique and vital contribution to preparation and recovery. Being prepared for any and all possibilities – an ‘all hazards’ approach, takes some thought and preparation but even a little bit of both can make a huge difference to a family’s experience of a disaster.

Tal commented that supporting women to become more resilient is a very important endeavour. "Women support their families, friends, neighbours and often the wider community and through ensuring they are well educated and empowered on the issues of disaster preparedness it's possible to build more resilient communities. This program is a great example of best practice community engagement and it has had a significant impact on the participants level of preparedness and their attitude towards disaster resilience.”

Weather the Storm - Women Prepare is a project of the National Rural Women’s Coalition and is funded a by Office for Women, part of the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

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Jeans for Genes Day

Get your jeans on and create a healthier and brighter future for kids!

Jeans for Genes is the major national fundraiser of the Children’s Medical Research Institute. Each year, more than two million Aussies wear their favourite jeans and donate much needed funds to support vital genetic research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases affecting children.

Every year, volunteers from around Australia rally together and donate their time at shopping centres, train stations or on streets to raise money.

This year, they need 1,500 volunteers to help sell merchandise on Friday 3 August and raise funds for this very important cause.

You can volunteer on your own or grab a group of your friends together and register a team. It’s fun and easy to be involved. Simply visit jeansforgenes.org.au/volunteer to register.

You can volunteer at a range of locations and for as much or as little time as you are able. Just choose the location and shift times most convenient to you. Their staff will organise all permits and merchandise and make sure you have all the information you need to make your experience rewarding and most of all, a lot of fun.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Community Fundraising Coordinator, Nermeen Yacoub on (02) 8865 2838 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or the Queensland Volunteer Coordinator, Erica Thuijs on 0452 505 299 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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