Volunteering Qld TV

Volunteering Qld CEO, Perry Hembury, delivering a speech for National Volunteer Week, 13 - 19 May 2013.

http://www.volunteeringqld....

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As CEO of Volunteering Qld it is my great pleasure to speak about National Volunteer Week 2013. Most of us would, I believe, agree that our world is constantly changing. Many of us are in 'transition' in our lives.

We are moving from study to work, or from disadvantage to work, or from one type of work to another or from work to retirement. Some of us have perhaps found stability in our lives and simply want to give back to society or assist a special cause. No matter what phase we are in in our lives there is a world of opportunity open to each of us through civic participation.

We continue to see millions of Australians engaging with their community in volunteer effort. Over 6 million in fact across the nation and around 1.2 million in Queensland alone.

The value of that contribution cannot be overstated. Because participation through people's time, skills and passion adds to a proud culture of giving in our society and contributes more to the economy than most high profile industries.

National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to acknowledge that enormous contribution and say 'Thank You' to all those individuals who support their communities, through:

• sport, recreation and fitness,
• in tourism, hospitality and heritage,
• in people and animal welfare groups,
• the arts,
• health, including aged care and disability support,
• education,
• environmental and conservation groups,
• faith based and justice and community groups that work with children and youth and migrant support and multicultural groups; and
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services; and
• not forgetting those volunteers who work in government; at local regional council level and Queensland and federal government level - and especially the emergency services. What a response we saw earlier this year following yet another round of natural disasters.

I'm sure we all get a strong sense of the diverse opportunities that exist from that wide range of organisational sectors right across the State.

We see the voluntary sector itself responding to the challenges of change wherever we look. We see the emerging need to build stronger community resilience in the face of climate change and to remain at the forefront of social inclusion.

One of our challenges is to find ways to be even more innovative in our approach to governing and managing not-for-profit groups and volunteer programs. Investment in our sector, that will sustain our proud tradition of civil participation and help us meet future challenges, comes not only from the efforts of individuals' but also from the giving of philanthropists and businesses and academics and of course via government support. The Queensland and Federal governments have a tradition also of supporting volunteering and this important Week recognises that support also.

National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to primarily recognise and applaud the critical contribution that individuals make every hour of every day in the lives of our communities - but it's also an opportunity to remind ourselves, that for our communities to be healthy, organisations across all sectors must be sustainable - whether they be small informal voluntary groups or large professional organisations or any type of Volunteer Involving Organisation in between.

It's those groups and organisations that provide the opportunities for volunteering to take place in society and provide meaningful experiences for volunteers -- and in many cases, open up new horizons for people who haven't before experienced the many personal benefits to be gained from volunteering.

When we engage with community in these ways we not only make our world a better place now but establish a legacy for future generations in a society that values social participation. Because this is one critical way we can build economic wealth and environmental and social health -- and individual wellbeing.

We say again; Thank you to all volunteers, right across Queensland from north to south, from east to west, and in every corner of our State, in this important week of celebration.

Thank you.