Volunteers get back as much as they give – survey finds
Volunteering to help individuals can build skills and knowledge, enhance employment opportunities, provide new and challenging experiences as well as deliver feelings of personal satisfaction through contributing, a new survey has found.
It also delivers measurable benefits to those being supported; including help in finding work and acquiring skills as well intangible and benefits such as friendship and building connections within communities, the survey found.
To mark the International Volunteer Day 2019, the survey was commissioned by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia. It canvased the attitudes of 85 of the organisation’s volunteers working mostly one-on-one with newly arrived refugees and migrants.
It found that overwhelmingly, volunteers believed they, themselves, benefitted directly through helping others.
Asked whether they benefitted from their volunteering work, 32 per cent of volunteers said they benefitted ‘significantly’ and 78 per cent said they benefitted ‘somewhat’.
Among the top benefits listed were ‘a feeling of satisfaction through contributing’ (96 per cent), ‘learning about new cultures (77 per cent), ‘building social and professional networks’ (59 per cent), ‘improving personal and communication (soft) skills’ and ‘enhancing employment opportunities’ (39 per cent).
The survey also found that volunteers believed their work delivered practical and intangible benefits to those being supported.
As a migrant from Greece who arrived in Australian in 1964, Dimitra Kimakidis understands the isolation and confusion that can come with moving to a new country.
That’s why she has been volunteering with migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia since 1989 helping newly arrived women refugees and migrants settle in and feel welcome.
“I enjoy volunteering to help ‘my girls’ and sometimes I can share their problems,” said Ms Kimakidis.
“It makes me happy to support people who maybe don’t have any relations or many friends here,” she said.
Flemington volunteer racks up eleven years
For eleven years Flemington women Flower Tavrou has been volunteering to help newly arrived refugees and migrants settle successfully into their new homes in Australia.
She volunteers with migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia in Footscray where she helps newly arrived people learn English and navigate Australian society.
“I love helping people settle and integrate into Australia,” said Ms Tavrou, who was honoured at a recent AMES Australia volunteer week event.
“It’s all about helping learn about how things work in Australia; everything form Myki cards and the public transport system to shopping, doctor’s appointments and all of things that are specific to Australia that people may have not seen before,” she said.
Ms Tavrou said her volunteering had given her as much as she had put in.
“I have learned so much about diverse communities over the years and I have met so many lovely and interesting people,” she said.
“Volunteering has given me so much and I would recommend it to anyone,” Ms Tavrou said.
AMES volunteer giving back
As a migrant from Burma who arrived in Australia in 1962, Hector De Santos understands the difficulties and dislocation that can come with moving to a new country.
That’s why she has been volunteering with migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia since 2015 helping newly arrived refugees and migrants to learn English and settle in.
After fleeing Burma’s draconian military government and finding refuge in Australia, Hector is paying back his new homeland through volunteering.
“I enjoy volunteering and I enjoy trying to help people with their problems,” Hector said.
“I teach English now and I go to meet with Burmese refugees, to tell them about the free English lessons they can get.
“I also just try teach them some basics about life in Australia – take them to shops or whatever.
“It’s better to work, to contribute,” Hector said.
Hector also volunteers with a local environment group where he lives in Melbourne’s south east.
“I help out with Friends of Frog Hollow. We plant the native trees around here, which gives the native birds somewhere to be, brings them back to the area,” Hector said.
Volunteering to help individuals can build skills and knowledge, enhance employment opportunities, provide new and challenging experiences as well as deliver feelings of personal satisfaction through contributing, a new survey has found.
It also delivers measurable benefits to those being supported; including help in finding work and acquiring skills as well intangible and benefits such as friendship and building connections within communities, the survey found.
The survey was commissioned by migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia. It canvased the attitudes of 85 of the organisation’s volunteers working mostly one-on-one with newly arrived refugees and migrants.
It found that overwhelmingly, volunteers believed they, themselves, benefitted directly through helping others.
per cent were aged 25 to 34.
After arriving from Vietnam forty years ago, Thu Nguyen spent three decades working in the IT industry.
Now retired, the Keilor woman is volunteering to help newly arrived refugees and migrant learn computer skills and English.
Ms Nguyen volunteers with refugee and migrant settlement agency AMES Australia at St Albans.
“I love my volunteering work supporting students to learn computer and language skills,” she said.
Volunteer racks up five years
For five years Caroline Springs women Zehra Ibrahim has been volunteering to help newly arrived refugees and migrants settle successfully into their new homes in Australia.
She volunteers with migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia in St Albans where she helps newly arrived people learn English and navigate Australian society.
As a migrant from Cyprus, who arrived in Australia 21-years-ago with little English, Ms Ibrahim knows the challenges moving to a new country can present.
“I love my volunteering work. I get more out of it than I put in,” said Ms Ibrahim, who was honoured at a recent AMES Australia volunteer week event.
“I love seeing newly-arrived people improve their English and start to become more and more comfortable living in Australian society,” she said.
“I would definitely recommend it to other people. You learn about other cultures and meet some lovely, interesting people,” Ms Ibrahim said.
She said she understands the challenges of moving to a new country.
“I came to Australia as a 21-year-old with virtually no English. I know how hard it is to build a new life and establish yourself in a new country when you can’t speak the language,” Ms Ibrahim said.
She said she particularly enjoyed watch helping students improve their confidence.
“You have to use different strategies and different stories to encourage them to learn,” Ms Ibrahim said.
#volunteer4inclusion #AMESAustralia #OurJourneyOurStories #CulturalDiversity #socialparticipation #Empowerment
Want to know more about volunteering at AMES Australia? Please visit http://bit.ly/360WqMB
AMES Blog
