OverSixty April 2023 Digital

OVERSIXTY.COM.AU | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2023 3 NEWS NEWS LOUISE WATERSON NEWS F ormanyseniors,volunteeringafewhours to a good cause is part and parcel of their retirement plans. But rates of volunteering have been gradually declining from around one-third of adults in 2002 to around one- quarter currently, while the impact of the pandemic heralded a signi!cant decline in those volunteering in a formal setting. According to the Volunteering in Aust- ralia 2022: !e Volunteer Perspective report by Volunteering Australia, the proportion of adults who had volunteered in the previous 12 months declined from 36 per cent in 2019 to 26.7 per cent in April 2022. "is equates to around 1.86 million fewer volunteers at the start of 2022 compared to pre-Covid. Whilst there was a slight increase in volunteering between 2021 and 2022, volunteering remains well below the pre-Covid-19 rate. And of these active volunteers, 40 per cent had decreased their hours. For those individuals who had stopped volunteering since the pandemic, some of the primary characteristics were !nding it di#cult to manage on current income; and those who identi!ed in the survey as “per- manently sick or disabled.” With volunteers making important contributions – in schools and hospitals, residential and home care set- tings, on playing !elds, and in community centres – the substanial drop in their num- bers has left a huge gap in communities. But this impact has been felt not just by the sectors that have long relied on volunteers, including mental health, disability, emer- gency relief, sports and arts and heritage. It has also caused reduced personal satisfac- tion and social connectedness among peo- ple who no longer volunteer. In October last year, Volunteering Aus- tralia released two Volunteering in Australia 2022 reports, detailing the results of its ex- tensive industry-wide post-COVID survey conducted by researchers at the Australian National University. “Our research shows more volunteers will be needed and this anticipated increase inde- mand is concerning in light of the long-term decline in volunteering participation,” says Mark Pearce, CEO of Volunteering Australia. "e survey found most organisations that relied on a volunteer workforce faced exten- sive recruitment challenges. Some 83 per cent of organisations reported they needed more volunteers immediately and in the near fu- ture, with just eight per cent of organisations needing to reduce their volunteer workforce. But COVID isn’t the sole reason Austral- ia’s volunteer workers haven’t resumed their pre-COVID work. "e rising cost of living increases has stopped 38.2 per cent from Volunteers needed across the community A volunteer shortage impacts not only the organisations relying on their assistance, but also the wellbeing of those no longer volunteering Photo: Getty Images CONTENTS WELLBEING BENEFITS “I hoped my experiences and encouragement would help my teenage mentee find a clearer path to their interests in life and work, but found I learned so much from them about bravery, tolerance and ambition to succeed.” – BRIGID, VOLUNTEER MENTOR TO UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN, SMITH FAMILY “The most rewarding part for me is the relationships I have forged with the people I see twice a week. I never anticipated that volunteering would become such an important part of my life.” – CLAUDETTE, VOLUNTEER AT SENIOR’S SOCIAL CENTRE “Last year, my team chose to volunteer as a group at the Royal Children’s Hospital in the cancer ward. Knowing that were able to put smiles on faces, that otherwise may not have appeared that day, is one of the most fulfilling accomplishments I can put my name to” – EMMA, HOSPITAL VOLUNTEER returning, while increased work and family commitments stopped 40.8 per cent. Anoth- er 14.7 per cent said they did not volunteer because of the lack of suitable opportuni- ties, while 13.9 per cent said “nobody asked” them to volunteer. Central to the industry’s push to encour- age Australians back to volunteering is the evidence that volunteering boosts life satis- faction and therefore has positive e$ects on a person’s wellbeing. To help attract Australians back to volun- teering, Volunteering Australia has launched GoVolunteer .com.au, a website that helps would-be volunteers !nd opportunities that suit their talents, interests, location, and time availability. Over 10,000 opportunities are listed on the site, in searchable format, with positions in event volunteering, student vol- unteering, corporate volunteering, environ- mental volunteering and volunteering in an emergency. Go to www.govolunteer.com.au to see what’s available in your local community. 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