WITH this week (May 15 – 21) being National Volunteer Week, several local organisations have renewed their invitation to the community to join in with their activities.

From fire-fighting during summer to Hamilton’s own Sheepvention to SES teaching new skills and mentoring programs for children, there is something for everyone, no matter who you are and what you know.

From natural disasters to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, volunteers are now more important than ever to provide a source of stability through these difficult times.

Nationwide, it has been estimated over five million people volunteer through an organisation annually, while an additional 6.5 million provide informal volunteering support within their community.

A recent report revealed key insights into the motivations and types of volunteering undertaken in Australia.

The most encouraging statistic being that after seeing a decline in the ‘invisible workforce’ post-pandemic, with easing restrictions, over two-thirds (69 per cent) of volunteers are back to making important change in person at the organisation they volunteer for.

Volunteering Australia chief executive, Mark Pearce, said that whilst the common volunteering motivators are personal satisfaction and helping others in the community, motivations can differ with each sector.

“Volunteering extends across society, including in the arts, education, emergency services, sports, environment, health, aged care and disability, community welfare and other vital community programs,” he said.

“Our new analysis of the latest volunteering data demonstrates that not all motivations and modes of volunteering are the same across sectors.”

Seeking social contact was the most influential motivation to volunteer in emergency services (53 per cent), arts and heritage (49 per cent), and aged care (45 per cent) organisations.

CFA was asking regional Victorians to ‘Give Us a Hand’ in an effort to recruit new volunteers to join its 52,000 community-minded members in protecting lives and property across the state.

The call out was part of a new volunteer recruitment campaign, which aims to encourage selfless Victorians to take up a firefighting or support role with their local CFA brigade.

Whether you’re looking to make the most of your spare time, are new to your community, or just want to be part of a group made up of like-minded people, CFA brigades have flexible volunteering arrangements and diverse roles to suit anyone’s skills and needs.

There are more than 1200 CFA brigades across Victoria, responding to a range of emergency incidents and serving communities every day.

CFA chief officer, Jason Heffernan said CFA is a great place to volunteer, meet new people and learn new skills.

“Volunteers are the backbone of the firefighting and emergency response network across Victoria,” he said.

“We are calling on all community-minded individuals who are looking for a new challenge to consider joining their local brigade and apply their expertise and knowledge to CFA.

“Whether you want to jump on the truck and respond to incidents, or take up a brigade support position, we’ll find a role that suits you and your brigade.

“The rewards of being a CFA volunteer are immeasurable and our members make a real difference in their communities.”

If you’re interested in joining or learning more, including reading through a list of common questions, visit cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteer

Sheepvention also wanted to send the call out for help, as the committee recognised in a statement “the vital support that our volunteers provide” to the popular local rural expo and the wider agriculture community.

Volunteer roles varied, but can include assisting in the management of pavilions, competitions and activities throughout the two-day event.

“As a committee we are working hard to make volunteering more attractive for all, by decreasing volunteer hours among other strategies,” they said.

“We encourage people to consider volunteering at Sheepvention this year, send us an email at info@hamiltonshowgrounds.com.au”

Hamilton VIEW Club was calling on members of the community to give their time to children’s education charity, The Smith Family.

Vice-President, Avril Conyers said they engage in fund-raising to support Learning For Life students with “many opportunities for people to help out”.

“We are always looking for women to join us in supporting The Smith Family and we’d encourage anyone interested to get in touch and come along to our next meeting to learn more about VIEW,” she said.

The Smith Family chief executive, Doug Taylor, said the charity could not have the impact it does without the help of volunteers.

“Each year, thousands of volunteers play a vital role in our learning support and mentoring programs and provide invaluable in-house administration support, with the students and families we support being the ultimate beneficiaries,” he said.

“Last year alone, the charity’s educational and mentoring programs reached almost 160,000 children and young people across the country.”

Founded in 1960 by the General Secretary of The Smith Family, George Forbes, to support the charitable work of The Smith Family, VIEW stands for the Voice, Interests and Education of Women; visit view.org.au

Hamilton VIEW Club meets at 12pm on the first Wednesday of each month – the meetings are held at The Speeckled Frog Café meeting room.

Finally, Wear Orange Wednesday is May 17 this year, which is is a great way to show appreciation to SES volunteers, who have been looking for new members to join their team, with numerous areas and options enabling anyone to volunteer, including associate members, operational members and youth volunteers.

Associate members can assist behind the scenes and in the community without attending call outs, such as administration, community education, media engagement – they can also assist during and after call out, such as meals, refreshments, or other supplies.

Operational Members assist with call outs and all training is provided.

Youth Volunteers are 15-18 year-olds, which allows you to do training and attend storm and flood call outs.

If you’re interested in helping the community, meeting new people, learning new skills, visit ses.vic.gov.au/join-us

National Volunteer Week (15th – 21st May) is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. Recognising there is always more work to be done, Volunteering Australia is inviting all Australians to become a Change Maker by volunteering or simply helping increase awareness of the vital role volunteers play in our lives this National Volunteer Week. For more information Aussies can visit volunteeringaustralia.org