Stories about Community and Culture

Volunteering in all aspects of life

The benefits you reap from volunteering definitely outweigh any other aspect... You may find the circumstances of your life drastically changing. I know mine did. More...

Riding for the Disabled

If you live near a riding school that does Riding for the Disabled they like any volunteers More...

Volunteer with Pyjama Angels

I would encourage others to get involved with volunteering - I think it's important to give back to others when we have received so much. More...

Volunteering at the Bendigo Historical Society

I've spent almost 2.5 years volunteering at the Bendigo Historical Society helping to catalogue their collection More...

Career Volunteer

There truly are not enough hours in the day and the only thing that stops me from doing more is the time element. The thing is, too, I am not alone. There are so many people out there volunteering. You keep meeting them and end up making many new and great friends. More...

Life is Like a Song

I turned a passion into someone else’s delight – almost a year ago, I decided to play guitar and sing songs to the residents at the Donald Coburn Centre in ARV. I’ve met many people along the way - for some, I wish I’d had more time to get to know them.

But I take away that frustration for a moment and play a melody, familiar or unfamiliar - it makes no difference. A woman burdened by dementia stops crying when I strum the strings on my guitar. She sighs happily when my voice reaches high notes she thinks are sweet.

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From suffering can come fulfillment

I was thinking about the reasons I love volunteering with depressioNet, and it came down to three main reasons More...

Rebuilding fences and rebuilding communities

We spent a day building fences for the victims of the Victorian bushfires with Blaze Aid. It was brilliant. Beautiful country, beautiful day. Sitting on the top of a hill fencing. It felt good to be doing something practical, rather than just sending money. More...

Saving lives with St Johns Ambulance

There are so many experiences i have encountered whilst being a volunteer. One does stand out to me though, and will be stuck with me forever. It was the year 2007, and was doing first aid duty at an Anzac Day Event, when a veteren suffered cardiac arrest (heart attack). More...

Volunteering opened my mind

DepressioNet has opened my mind to what is possible in life. More...

ING Foundation Volunteer

ING Foundation partnered with The Spastic Centre on a program named the Ignition Mentoring Program. I received an email from the ING Foundation about this program, and the chance to spend my year as a mentor to a teenager with Cerebral Palsy. I signed up, filled in the forms and waited…shortly after I got accepted, and the night of our first meeting arrived. Sitting at my desk I started to panic, all the ‘what ifs’ started to loom over me, I knew nothing of CP and how to deal or handle these kids??!! I was almost going to pull out of the program, place it in the too hard basket, surely there are people better equipped to handle these programs?? Well I fronted up and met the crew, bunch of kids from all walks of life and varying degrees of CP. More...

My experience as a Volunteer at the Red Cross

Well, after dragging myself out of bed at the uncivilised hour of 6 in the morning, I wandered over to the Red Cross building on the corner of Frome and Wakefield to find that they were 'a bit behind this morning'. I was too sleepy to react. Possibly a good thing. I wandered over to the kitchen, sat on a chair and took out a book to read. More...

Mentoring underprivileged children

There is no doubt I found great satisfaction in sharing and encouraging a young person but I was surprised by how enlightening and fulfilling the whole experience was. I highly recommend it!! More...

Camaraderie among volunteers at St John's Ambulance

I had a lot of fun and a few wacky experiences as a volunteer medic for St John's Ambulance. Drinking rum and milk with diggers at the ANZAC parade, patching up scraped knees at kids' soccer games and talking down bad trips at music festivals. They trained me up and set me loose in all sorts of war zones.

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Bright and Shiny Giving Souls - an insight into the world of volunteering Words

Look up “volunteer” on dictionary.com and the definition you’ll read is that it is “a person who performs a service willingly and without pay”. It goes without saying that volunteering comes from a place of kindness and goodwill.

On Saturday night on 2 May 2009 in the Parkside Ballroom of the Sydney Convention Centre, about 77 volunteers did just that.

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You don't have to be amazing to volunteer

For me, volunteering started in a self-serving little place called Planet Brain.

I really wanted it to come from some deep seeded heart throbbing desire to change part of the world, but it wasn't. It was market research for my job. I wanted to volunteer to understand how it worked, what the barriers were and what would inspire others to give it a go.

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Teaching Sign Language to Children

So today I was my first day volunteering for the 14th International DeafBlind Conference. I was there from 9 till about 6pm and by the end of my shift I did not want to go home. I wanted to stay there and just help them all out. I felt so happy and good. More...

Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program

Constantine Carluen is a volunteer working in the Philippines with the Australian Agency for International Development funded- community development facility, the Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program.

My volunteering odyssey begins some 7 years ago when I started my second attempt at a Bachelor’s Degree. This was inspired upon the guidance of my late-grandfather and mentor, Ruben David, My grandfather suggested I switch degrees from Environmental Science to Communications. My grandfather sent me an article which mentioned that volunteering is an excellent way to get experience. This is where my life took a massive turnaround- from what I will openly admit as ‘being wayward in direction, to finally finding focus’ and from hereon in, I volunteered in various communications roles in non-government organisations (NGOs) servicing the community.

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The Ultimate Volunteers

Since becoming foster carers we have enjoyed watching little people develop and grow in our family environment, getting back at least as much as we've put in. We get a lot of satisfaction being able to help other families in their need and Thomas has flourished in his capacity as a "big brother". More...

MBA graduate finds volunteering launches career

Recent MBA graduate Michael Rowe wanted to get involved in community work to keep himself sharp and connected to the real world.

He volunteered through the Australia Business Arts Foundation’s adviceBank service and was matched with Montsalvat, the historic arts site in Eltham on the outskirts of Melbourne.

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Business volunteer helps Queensland writers go global

Senior executive and marketing consultant Theodora Le Souquet volunteered to help Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) develop a profitable new online service, a valuable new income stream and a better strategic understanding of its position in the marketplace.

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Volunteers Plan International Growth for Youth Dance Co.

Tasmanian volunteers Lynda Jones and Bob Campbell of groupwork contributed time and business planning skills to Stompin dance group’s growth into a national and international dancing force.

"The mentoring of Stompin’s key staff has been an enormous contribution to the management of the company... At commercial rates this strategic advice would have been well beyond Stompin’s reach.”

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Telethon organised by the Australian Red Cross Society

On the 13th of February, Friday (09:00pm) I headed down to the UCMS on Flinders St. to take part in a Telethon organised by the Australian Red Cross Society. It was held to help raise funds for the victims of the bushfire that happened in Victoria. This Telethon was sponsored by Channel 9. More...

Being a Youth Ambassador for Reach Out

It shocked me to see the amount of young people living miserably, and I knew there was something I could do - whether big or small.... Volunteering with Inspire has given me a sense of purpose and belonging, which is something I know a lot of people search for. More...

Community Volunteering offers the Power to Change

I volunteer with an organisation called Family Life. Family Life perform a number of benefits to local communities in the Southern Suburbs of Melbourne but in broad strokes they fulfil a commitment to build stronger communities through working closely with struggling families to ensure they have the quality of life we all deserve. The services they offer are primarily counselling services and programs, such as SHINE that work closely with young people to ensure they get the start in life that they need to be a prospering and well-functioning person in society. More...

My experience working with children with disabilities

My decision to volunteer, at first, was purely pragmatic: I was studying Arts at uni, and considering taking a year out to Au Pair overseas. I knew Au Pairing agencies required experience working with children, and I wasn't sure that casual babysitting would be sufficient. More...

Local primary school volunteer

When I first moved to Australia, I felt that I needed to devote some of my time to the community. I started volunteering at my children's local primary school by listening to the children read and as I done this every week I realized that I quite enjoyed it. This became a habit and I found that I had skills for example listening and communicating skills, it helped me to be more patient in myself and to the students and I really liked volunteering. More...

SES Volunteer

I am a proud member of the State Emergency Services Australia and I have made some brilliant friends that i will keep for the rest of my life. The friendships that we share keep us all going during those times of great stress, the teamwork is always the better part of those situations because you can trust in those around you to help you as you would help them. More...

Making wishes come true at Make-a-Wish Foundation

We had the opportunity to meet the amazing team who collectively grant wishes of children with life threatening illnesses across our country. It was such a humbling experience to listen to the stories and see the gallery of granted wishes that line the walls. Our team was left truly in awe of what has, can and will be achieved by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. More...

Putting smiles on faces at the Royal Childrens Hospital

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. More...

Bushfire Volunteer

I was lucky enough volunteer my time and I found it most rewarding. Half of us were turned away from the first place we were sent to, as so many people were turning up to offer a hand. We asked a guy if he knew where else we could help, and he gave us a number for the Hurstbridge Relief Centre. More...

Royal Children's Hospital Cancer Care Ward

My team went to the Royal Children's Hospital cancer care ward for their Volunteer day, and we really didn't know what to expect. Despite the sad circumstances, we were definitely left with an impression and a special place in our hearts for these kids. More...

Sacred Heart Mission

It was a very rewarding experience we helped out with the preparation of food and the stocking the coldroom with the incoming deliveries then we helped with serving and clearing tables washing dishes whatever we could do we got stuck in and did. More...

Helping Organisations with Social Media

Why don't not-for-profits use social media tools more extensively? After all, they are much closer, and more reliant, on communities than corporates and governments. I hope that my few hours of help for WSPA will give them some tools and ideas to go forward with social media. They certainly want to. They see the value. More...

In 2008 I decided to raise $10,000

Back in September 2008 I made a decision to raise $10,000 for a Filipino microfinance project for Opportunity International Australia. It still seems like a lot of money to raise, when I consider demands in life like everyone - a young family, part time work, community - but I figured I could at least make a commitment to having a good go at it. I started by setting up a blog and a website for people to donate online . I treid to find out whatever information I could about microfinance projects - loans to the entrepreneurial poor to build their small businesses - and published it on the blog, created slides on slideshare and created Youtube videos using tools like Animoto. I let my online community know what I was trying to achieve. More...

Volunteering is sexy

Do you want to be happier, more successful, have more friends, and a loving partner? Now these are the kinds of promises that many self-help gurus make millions out of. In fact if I charged you a lot of money and gave you this promise you'd more than likely pay. However, there is a way to get all of these results, it's SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN (yes really) and it's FREE. What's the answer - you ask? Volunteering I say.

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Telephone counsellor with Lifeline

Volunteering makes you feel good about helping others, knowing that through their day to day struggle you have made a difference, no matter how big or small. More...

The Foodies Club

I really wanted to combine my passion for fine food with a desire to contribute to a local food charity. Second Bite is a fantastic organization that I found online. . . . . . More...

The Crafty Survivors

Although the volunteer group facilitation takes me away from my own practice and ability to earn income, it has filled me with passion and kept me in touch with what really matters. More...

Stepping through the door at Vibewire

For me, there was great fun in working with a responsive group – moving quickly from ideas to action. And it was impressive to see how quickly the Vibewire team's efforts had tangible benefits for the young people who were part of their community. And, of course, my involvement continues. More...

Mater hospital in Brisbane

I have had a very blessed life as I have been generally good in health, been able to participate in the workforce, found the time to further my studies and had the freedom to make my own choices. Not everyone in this world has such opportunities. I therefore made a choice to give something back to this world without a financial reward. More...

Contributing to the community

I wanted to be able to give some of my time to helping other people in some form or another. I chose the Mater Hospital because of their high reputation of health services and from my own personal experience with them having proven them to be an excellent institution for helping people. More...

One of my fondest memories...

I volunteered at Relay for Life, a fundraising event organised by the Cancer Council of WA. We helped with the sausage sizzle, acted as crowd controllers, and helped to sell ice-creams. Half-way into the night, the heavens opened up and poured down with rain. We were absolutely soaked, there was nothing to do but laugh. It's one of the best memories I have, a night of sadness mingled with love, laughter and life. More...

Sandgate Theatre

When I was a teenager I was a typical girl who wanted to grow up and be an actress. It seemed logical that I ended up in the theatre but when in my school production I was given backstage duties I thought it was the end of the world! It turned out that it was the start of some of the best times of my life! More...

Remembering John Curtin

My latest volunteer experience was with the Curtin Volunteer last October. They named the event as John Curtin Weekend, as part of remembering the founder of the university. There was a team of 11 which consists mixture of university staffs and students from different universities. There were 4 Asians, 3 Americans, 2 Africans, and 2 Australians. More...

Feeding my love of helping the community

Rather than quit my job and become a professional volunteer, I combined both my job and volunteering. I work in the social services field AND I volunteer for grass roots projects because I believe in the service of giving. More...