Volunteer Awareness Week
Volunteering across the generations
is the theme of the Volunteer Awareness Week 2010 being held Sunday 20 – Saturday 26 June. With volunteers playing such a crucial role in all areas of the Arts sector, the week offers the opportunity to not only recognise thousands of volunteers who do so much but also potentially recruit new volunteers. A key objective of the Awareness Week is to encourage more people to volunteer – “raising people not money”.
The theme is aimed at highlighting the opportunities for volunteering across all generations, how different forms of volunteering appeal to particular generational groups and ways in which intergenerational volunteering, including family volunteering, can take place.
Volunteering NZ as the national co-ordinating agency for the Week will provide information and posters to assist participation in the week. VNZ encourages all organisations which have volunteers involved in their programmes to start planning activities for the Week now. Visit www.volunteeringnz.org.nz for updates on planning for the Week and email office@volunteeringnz.org,nz if you would like a supply of posters. From early May you will also be able to have your event listed on a special Awareness Week calendar on www.volunteeringnz.org.nz. Look out for the "List your Event' facility.
All over New Zealand
Member Profile
Volunteering New ZealandVolunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is an association of volunteer centres and national and other organisations with a commitment to volunteering. Current member organisations cover emergency services, health, welfare, education, arts and culture, faith based services, community support, ethnic groups, sport and recreation, conservation, special interests, advocacy and international volunteering.
VNZ’s mission is to create an environment which supports, promotes, values and encourages effective volunteering by the people of Aotearoa New Zealand. It provides the national voice of volunteering and volunteers in this country.
The key steps VNZ takes to achieve its objectives include:
• Raising both an individual and collective interest in the value of volunteering and to create a well informed public.
• Communicating and working with Government, other organisations and individuals about issues related to volunteering.
• Providing and/or promoting services such as educational programmes and volunteer recruitment through organised groups including volunteer centres, other national and regional organisations and government agencies.
• Undertaking and/or promoting research and the publication and dissemination of material relevant to the development of volunteering.
• Participating in any other activities which are considered practicable and desirable in reaching the objects outlined above.
• Representing New Zealand volunteering internationally.
Comments
Two national events will be taking place during Volunteer Awareness Week.
Tuesday 22 June will feature a one day Youth Volunteering workshop titled "Mission Possible" It will highlight the perspectives of young people and what organisations need to do to involve them in their programmes. With Volunteering NZ as co-ordinator, young people themselves have lead roles in organising the workshop. A large number of young volunteers from several parts of New Zealand sent in Sign Ups to be one of 20 young participants. On the day they will work together with 10 senior representatives from a number of organisations to identify reasons that more young people do not volunteer and what concrete actions the organisations need to take to change this.
The following evening will see the formal launch of the report of survey of managers of volunteer programmes jointly which has been produced by Victoria University with active support from Volunteering NZ Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector will be present and speak at the event. If you would like to attend the launch on Wednesday evening (5.30pm) at Victoria University's Thorndon Campus email Vanessa.Borg@vuw.ac.nz .