A strategy being launched today is spearheading efforts to further bolster South Australia's volunteer numbers.
The State Government is releasing a refreshed Volunteering Strategy for South Australia on International Day of the Volunteer, which outlines priorities for the sector to 2027, predominantly to help ensure volunteer numbers continue to grow to meet future community needs.
Under the Strategy, South Australia will commit to:
- strengthening expectations for the volunteer sector to embed inclusive practices across all aspects of volunteering
- creating culturally relevant volunteering opportunities that reflect the diverse needs of local communities and link to Closing the Gap priorities
- supporting greater emphasis on celebrating, promoting, recruiting and retaining new and existing volunteers
- better governance arrangements and cross-sector collaboration.
The Strategy's key focus areas 'Include and Support, Promote and Grow, and Collaborate and Improve' also align it with the National Strategy for Volunteering, making it easier to map and monitor South Australia's actions against national standards and helping to create a consistent volunteering experience for all.
Last year more than 950,000 South Australians volunteered their time and skills, equating to over 223 million hours of unpaid work and over $36 million in social and economic benefit to the state.
The refresh follows consultation with partners including Volunteering SA&NT, South Australian Business Chamber and LGA South Australia.
The Department of Human Services will lead a new Steering Committee which will oversee the Strategy and work closely with community organisations and local government to ensure the South Australian volunteer sector is supported to thrive.
The new Strategy will be live from today at dhs.sa.gov.au/SAvolunteeringstrategy
As put by Nat Cook
South Australia has a long and proud history of volunteering, which contributes so much to the health and wellbeing of our communities and economy.
Countless South Australians owe their lives to the selfless commitment of our emergency services volunteers, and many charities that support our communities are 100% volunteer run.
We want to make sure - through partnering with business, local government and community sector organisations - that South Australia continues to enjoy a strong and vibrant volunteer sector into the future.
This is why our government is launching a refreshed Volunteering Strategy for South Australia which sets out a framework of priorities to support decision making and policy development over the next three years.
This Strategy is contemporary and evidence-based and reflects the needs and preferences of the South Australian volunteer sector and volunteers, including those from vulnerable groups.
With the changing needs of volunteers and organisations following the COVID-19 pandemic and the current cost of living pressures, this Strategy will be absolutely pivotal to help increase volunteer numbers and encourage people to keep giving back to their communities.
As put by Hamilton Calder, CEO, Volunteering SA & NT
As the peak body for volunteers, Volunteering SA & NT has worked closely with the State Government on refreshing the Volunteering Strategy for South Australia.
We are committed to continuously improving the support we offer individual volunteers and volunteer involving organisations.
We welcome the release of the refreshed strategy and thank everyone who was involved in providing feedback.
As always, we are keen to hear from anyone who is interested in volunteering so please get in touch with Volunteering SA & NT if you would like to give back to your community.
