June 2009

VOLUNTEERING NEW ZEALAND FOCUS:

Young Volunteer interview caps Volunteer Awareness Week publicity

Shikah Goyal, a young graduate, who has taken up volunteering while hunting for paid work, excellently expressed the benefits of being a volunteer when interviewed on TV3 News, ending Volunteer Awareness Week on a high note. Her interview was part of media coverage throughout the country about the Week and the stories of volunteers, especially young volunteers.

Youth Volunteering was the highlight in Volunteer Awareness Week 2009, held 14 - 20 June. This national focus for the week through events and media coverage featured the many ways in which young people already volunteer, demonstrating the opportunities for other young people. Volunteers from other generations were not left out and featured in many of the stories published during the week.

The publicity and events organised by volunteer centres and community organisations have drawn a lot interest in volunteering. One clear indicator of this has been the new record levels of people visiting www.volunteernow.org.nz and registering their interest in becoming volunteers. The average daily number of hits on the website during June has been over 11,500, compared with around 9500 per day in April and May. Online registrations for the month were over 350 with a couple of days to go with the daily average of registrations setting a new record.

Generosity in a time of recession was the theme of the "Communities of Interest" meeting hosted by the Generosity Hub in Wellington which was the major national event for Week. The 50 participants heard from the Minister (see below) and six people who are givers in different ways spoke about their experiences of generosity. The strategic and operational plans were presented and participants had the opportunity to provide their feedback on these plans.

Hon Tariana Turia, Minister of the Community and Voluntary Sector emphasised that young people do give of their time in her speech to the Generosity gathering. She noted how they gave on marae, at schools, in the communities, for a good cause or for a campaign they believe in. She said they give of themselves, without inhibition, without expectation of return."

The Volunteer Centres across the country organised a variety events for their own volunteers, member organisations and wider public:

• Volunteering Auckland hosted an "Open Day" for member and non-member NPOs to showcase its work and the services it offers. It presented two workshops on "Engaging Youth in Volunteer Programmes". Students from AUT School of Journalism wrote stories on young volunteers for publication in the local suburban newspapers as part of their term assignment.
• For Volunteering Waikato, the Volunteer Excellence Awards was the highlight of Week. This year the individual Award Winner was Shona Bramley and the team winner was Refugee Services Aotearoa NZ.
• In Tauranga the Parliamentary Breakfast gathering local MP was organised by Volunteer Western Bay of Plenty. This great initiative featuring how a national political event could be created at the local level, was addressed by Minister Tariana Turia, Those who attended included local MP Simon Bridges, Tauranga City Mayor Stuart Crosby, Ross Paterson, Mayor of Western Bay of Plenty District Council, local Philanthropic Trust representatives, Trustpower senior management and representatives from many community organisations.
• Gisborne Volunteer Centre had a busy Week by organising a morning tea for their volunteers with the Deputy Mayor, Nona Aston as a special guest; 'Come as a volunteer' community day where people in the workforce were encouraged to dress as they would for their volunteers roles for the day; high school students distributed leaflets about volunteering in the CBD; a training workshop on volunteer management; gave a breakfast talk on "Volunteering for all ages" and ran displays in shop windows highlighting the various volunteer groups working in our community.
• The New Plymouth Volunteer Centre held a "Macca's and Lamingtons" Evening. This was an intergenerational event where young volunteers were invited to mix and mingle with the older generations.
• Volunteer Whanganui held a display on Majestic Square together with several local community groups supported by the performances of the local Kapahaka group.
• Volunteer Wellington and its satellite offices held several events during the week. A forum on "Working Well With Youth Volunteers" was organised in Porirua in partnership with Community Development Unit Porirua City Council. In the Hutt Valley, the Lower Hutt office organised a workshop "Getting Your Message Across". This was held in partnership with the Community Development Hutt City Council. The Wellington office, in partnership with Nikau Foundation, celebrated the finale of the 2009 Corporate Challenge which included speeches from Minister Turia, Kevin O'Connor, Nikau Foundation chairperson and representatives of an employee volunteers group and a host community organisation.
• Seventeen Canterbury volunteers received awards at Volunteering Canterbury's annual Volunteer Recognition Awards event. The Centre also organised special treats for volunteers involved with member organisations such as free admission to several attractions and free guided tours.
• Volunteering Mid and South Canterbury acknowledged local volunteers by hosting a special Volunteer Day in conjunction with Timaru Senior Citizens. The programme included entertainment and luncheon with Timaru Major Janie Annear.
• Youth was very much the focus for Volunteering Otago. Their events included a BBQ, stall and flag art displays, Wii games in a new shopping mall and a fabulous "Water Race" in which students raised money and awareness for Turn on the Tap, an organisation that helps build wells and provide safe drinking water for people in developing countries. Volunteering Otago's Dob in a Volunteer competition kicked off during the Week too.
• In Palmerston North, a group which has been working to establish a volunteer centre held a street parade and an expo with displays from different local organisations.

Many community organisations had their own events during the Week. Listing just a few of them

• Arthritis New Zealand - Greater Wellington Service Centre, held an afternoon tea and Gallery Viewing at the New Dowse in Lower Hutt to thank their volunteers.
• the IHC Volunteer Programme hosted movie afternoons or evenings as a thank you to their volunteers.
• In the Far North a special "Volunteers are Stars" promotion was linked to the month long Matariki Muriwhenua festival.
• MOTAT Museum treated its visitors with the stories from behind the scenes and history of MOTAT told through some of the museum's longest standing volunteers.
  

The amazing contribution of volunteers and invitations for further support were acknowledged through e-mails, blogs, newspaper supplements by many organisations: GirlGuiding, Taranaki Adult Literacy Services, English Language Partners Taranaki, CAB, Red Cross, New Plymouth Group for the Disabled, Budget Advisory Service, Taranaki Employment and Support Foundation, canteen, Rescue Taranaki Community Helpers, Christchurch Civil Defence, Meals on Wheels, Cancer Society, LifeLine, Prisoner Aid and Rehabilitation Society Canterbury (Inc.), Ronald McDonald House Southland, Canterbury Museum, Orana Wildlife Trust, St John, Canterbury District Health Board, AgeConcern, Nurse Maude, Alzheimers Canterbury, Arthritis NZ, Pillars, enliven, CES, ChristChurch Cathedral, ESOL Home Tutors, Victim Support, Plunket, CityMission, Youthline, Scouths NZ, AFS, dress for Success, VSA, NZ Police Museum, Global Volunteer Network, Presbyterian Support, Coastguard and many others.

As well as being a major theme of volunteer Awareness Week, Youth Volunteering is the focus of a new initiative as part of the TrustPower Community Awards programme. TrustPower initiated the new Spirit Award to acknowledge the enormous role young people have in developing a spirit of compassion and selflessness in the community and to promote the unique ways young people enrich their communities through volunteering. Several of these Awards were presented during the week. For further information please see our Awards section.

Many businesses supported the VAW activities in their local communities. BP New Zealand launched the 'BP Vouchers for Volunteers' programme for 2009 and Nestlé NZ has called for nominations through their web site for their "Reward a Community Volunteer" event. This aims to recognise the huge contribution that volunteers make in the New Zealand community.

This year media provided outstanding coverage of the Week. In addition to more than 15 special feature supplements in local papers, many organisations had their special stories reported or their letters to the editor published. Wellington's Dominion Post ran a story about a volunteer and his/her special role each day of the week. The first day the story was front page. TVNZ ran an interview with Martin J Cowling from People First -Total on "Morning Breakfast and broadcasted series of 'case studies' of young people doing volunteer work. TV3 as mentioned above wrapped up the Week with its story of young volunteer Shikha Goyal.

VAW blog winner

We again had an excellent response to our blog and thank you all for posting your entries and letting us know about your VAW events. While all of you are the champions of the Week, only one organisation could receive a gift book voucher: ANT Trust which has organised "Volunteer are Stars" campaign during the Matariki festival in Far North. Congratulations and please get in touch with us on 04 384 3636 or office [at] volunteeringnz [dot] org [dot] nz to arrange the practicalities.

Thanks to the CAB National Office Manager Margaret Miller for doing drawing the winning organisation.

Conference Programme taking shape and early bird registrations now open

Steven Carden, author of New Zealand Unleashed, Melissa Moon, champion mountain biker and committed volunteer, Marcus Akuhata Brown founder of Tukaha Global Consultancy have all been confirmed as keynote speakers for Volunteering Unleashed. They will be part of an exciting conference programme which is nearing completion. Andy Fryar OzVPM and Martin J Cowling, People First Total Solutions, will facilitate the two main conference streams, Volunteering Tomorrow and Inspiring Leaders. We have also received over 20 abstracts for presentations and workshops during the streamed sessions, including from two Australian speakers. The draft conference programme as at the end of June can be found here.

Registrations for the conference have opened with the early bird registration fee of $350 (GST incl). This is on offer until Saturday 15 August. Registrations are able to be made online with access through our website. There are few places available at the reduced registration fee of $112.50 (GST incl). Visit the conference page on our website to access the application form for applying for a scholarship.

Conference sponsorship and exhibition support being sought

So far the Conference is being supported by the Wellington Convention Centre, IHC and NZ Post Group. More potential sponsors and exhibitors have expressed their interest in participating in the conference. VNZ is keen for many more supporters to come forward as sponsors or exhibitors.

Readers of this VNZ Update who are interested in supporting in this way or know of potential sponsors are asked to contact Tim Burns, VNZ Executive Director by e-mail ed [at] volunteeringnz [dot] org [dot] nz or phone 04 3843637 to obtain a copy of our Sponsorship/Exhibition Proposal.

Employee Volunteering Health and Safety survey results

During 2009 Volunteering NZ is developing Employee/Group Volunteering Health and Safety Guidelines with funding assistance from Mobil Oil New Zealand. The rationale for developing the guidelines arises from the growth in formalised employee and group volunteering in New Zealand and recognition there as specific health and safety factors to consider.

During April 2009 we conducted the survey among community organisations to obtain the information on their health and safety practices when they are assisted by groups of employee volunteers or other groups from the community (e.g. Church and youth groups offering to undertake projects).

The results of the survey are now published on VNZ website and will assist in further development of the guidelines. VNZ would like to thank everyone who participated in and contributed to the survey.

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

NZ young volunteers on an international stage

New Zealand Red Cross National Board youth representative Brie, 21-years-old, and New Zealand Red Cross Dunedin Branch executive committee member Aaron, aged 22, together with youth from all over the world, gathered in Solferino, Italy from 23 to 28 June for the 3rd World Red Cross Red Crescent Youth meeting which carries the theme of Youth on the Move. Doing more. Doing better. Reaching further.

The goal of the global meeting was to have young people better prepared to face today's humanitarian challenges. For both of the volunteers this was a great opportunity to looking at a broad selection of issues facing humanity today and also the role youth members can play in disaster response and post disaster reconstruction.

BP Vouchers for Volunteers

Deadline: 9 July 2009
BP New Zealand has launched the 'BP Vouchers for Volunteers' programme for 2009, inviting applications from volunteer organisations for thousands of BP fuel vouchers/gift cards.

In the last three years BP has supported more than 1,000 organisations whose use vehicles to do their work. Through donating these vouchers, BP tries to provide a bit of help and support for their cause especially in this time of the global economic downturn.

Registered charities or volunteer organisations that rely on voluntary assistance and use vehicles are eligible to apply. For an application form and full eligibility criteria please visit www.bp.co.nz.

AAVA Volunteer Administrator Award of Excellence

NOMINATIONS CLOSE: 1 September 2009
Australasian Association of Volunteer Administrators is inviting the community organisations and individuals across New Zealand and Australia to nominate their candidates for the 2009 Volunteer Administrator Award of Excellence. The nominations are open to all people managing volunteers in either country.

AAVA annually recognises a manager of volunteers for his or her outstanding contribution to the profession of volunteer management. The Award of Excellence is an opportunity to recognise these people in our region. Whether the volunteer manager has been on the front line putting their lives at risk for the sake of their community or working in the community for sporting groups, the arts, local government, hospitals or community welfare organisations, these people are ensuring the true value of volunteer contributions are felt.

The winner will be announced on International Volunteer Managers Day, November 5 2009. For further information and nomination documents please visit newly launched www.aava.asn.au.

Vodafone Foundation's World of Difference

Applications for the Vodafone Foundation's World of Difference programme open on Monday 13 July. The World of Difference Programme pays the salary and expenses of six passionate people each year, so they can work with the youth-focused cause of their choice.

This national capacity-building programme provides youth-related causes with an extra paid resource for 12 months, enabling organisations to start or complete projects, extend and improve services, up-skill staff and volunteers and in some cases give the organisation the leg-up they need to move forward more effectively.

Applications which close Friday 21 August and are open to all New Zealand residents aged 18 years and over. There are six places available, so if you want to spend next year making a difference to Kiwi youth, apply at www.worldofdifference.co.nz. Alternatively, if you know any stars working in the NZ youth sector (or who should be) or if you know of any organisations that would benefit from capacity building, please forward this information to them. To read about the difference 38 recipients have made since 2002 check out www.worldofdifference.co.nz.

VOLUNTEERING PEOPLE

New Forest & Birds Board

At its recent AGM, Forest & Birds charity elected Barry Wards as the new president and Craig Potton as vice-president. Barry has been chairman of Forest & Bird's Upper Hutt branch for 16 years, has served on its national executive since 2004 and has been vice-president since 2007. As a member of Forest & Bird for more than two decades, he has been involved in numerous environmental restoration projects in Upper Hutt and currently is working as senior biosecurity advisor for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Craig Potton has been chairman of Forest & Bird's Nelson branch for more than a decade and has served on its executive since 2004. He first joined Forest & Bird as a schoolboy and over the last three decades has been involved in many of New Zealand's most prominent national conservation campaigns. Mr Potton is also a noted landscape and wildlife photographer and founder of Craig Potton Publishing.

Graham Bellamy was also re-elected as treasurer, and Anne Fenn, Mark Fort, Alan Hemmings, Joan Leckie, Janet Ledingham, Jon Wenham and Andrew Cutler were elected as Executive members.

A New National Director for Prison Fellowship NZ

Robin Gunston has recently been appointed as the new National Director. He joins PFNZ as a widely experienced business executive, board director, consultant and entrepreneur with proven expertise and visionary leadership in the strategic direction of business and not for profit entities. He is an international author, speaker and presenter on futures thinking and risk management. A futuristic thinker, he is able to get people to envision their preferred futures.

VOLUNTEERING RECOGNITION AWARDS

First National Volunteer Awards launched

The inaugural National Volunteer Awards ceremony organised by Good Magazine, was held in Auckland ahead of the Volunteer Awareness Week. Crisis support volunteer Bridgit Bretherton-Jones from Auckland has been named the overall Volunteer of the Year for her tireless efforts for the Preventing Violence in the Home agency. This, NZ's biggest anti-violence agency provides 24-hour crisis support for domestic violence victims.

The Award has been set up by the Good Magazine with support from Intrepid Travel and the judging panel was chaired by Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

More young volunteers receive Spirit Awards

In Central Otago Livi Geddes from Dunstan High School was named the TrustPower Central Otago Youth Community Spirit Award winner. Livi is involved in sports teams, cultural activities and in academic areas - she is a very well-rounded student, and with her long list of community contributions.

Mia Scherrer from Katikati College has been named as the winner of the Award in the Western Bay of Plenty. Last year Mia shaved her hair off to fundraise for CANTEEN and in her efforts raised $1,100. Mia says that this was a choice for her - but for some it is not. This shows the maturity and compassion she has for others.

Christian Robinson from St Kevin's College in Oamaru won the Award for his district. Christian has been involved in the community in many ways, from being a member of the Justice Awareness Group and working on his Duke of Edinburgh award through to helping with the IHC and tutoring other students. His school describes him as 'a student who walks the talk and is a fantastic role model for holistic education'.

Missy Seymour from Motueka High School has been named as winner of the Award for Tasman district. She has served on the School Council, is one of two Community Service Captains, mentors a boy with special needs and is a maths tutor. She is a member of the Tasman Youth Council and is also a top sportswoman, competing and succeeding at national level in field events.

For more information on the TrustPower Youth Community Spirit Award or the TrustPower Community Awards phone Pip at TrustPower on 0800 871111 or go to www.trustpower.co.nz

Waitaki Multicultural Council wins Top Award

The Waitaki Multicultural Council has won the Supreme Award at the TrustPower Oamaru Community Awards. The Waitaki Multicultural Council's aim to embrace New Zealand's ethnic heritage and culture while recognising and celebrating cultural diversity was key to them being named this year's Supreme Winners. Its actions are helping their members to integrate into the local community, while exposing the region to a wide range of cultures in a very positive way.

This group has been very active in Oamaru, even lending their hand to activities that are outside of their own interests, such as a clean-up day on Beach Road and joining in the Victorian Heritage Celebrations.

Other winners at the TrustPower Oamaru Community Awards were:
Heritage and Environment: Penguin and Coastal Habitat Volunteers
Health and Well Being: Oamaru Victim Support
Arts and Culture: Waitaki Multicultural Council Inc.
Sport and Leisure: HALO Healthy Living Oamaru
Educational and Child/Youth Development: Waiareka Valley Lions

Queens Award for Voluntary Service rewards the UK arts volunteers

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service recognises groups of individuals who give their time freely for the benefit of others across the UK. It is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon groups of this kind and is equivalent in status to the MBE. Among 95 winners were Dalbeattie Museum which provides a community facility for the conservation and promotion of local history and The Wick Society which serves as an educational resource for local residents researching the history of the town and its past fishing industry.

Details of the 2009 winners are available www.queensawardvoluntary.gov.uk.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

12th IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference

26-29 November 2009 Kaohsiung, Taiwan
EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATIONS extended to 31 July 2009
Asia Pacific IAVE conference will be hosted by IAVE Taiwan and Kaohsiung City Volunteer Association. "Volunteerism as a Lifestyle for Social Solidarity" will be the theme for the conference and there will be six streams:
1. Volunteer Management in the Large Scale Event
2. Corporate Volunteering and Its Impact on Asia Pacific Society
3. Volunteerism and Information Communication Technology (ICTs)
4. Volunteering within the Asian Pacific Region of Culture Diversity
5. National Volunteer Centers
6. International Volunteering
A youth forum will also be held as part of the conference. For further information and registration visit http://iave.npotech.org.tw or e-mail iave [dot] 2009 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Volunteering NZ asks any New Zealanders who plan to go the this Asia-Pacific conference to make contact with Tim Burns VNZ Executive Director at ed [at] volunteeringnz [dot] org [dot] nz. We would like to ensure any New Zealand representatives are acknowledged at the conference.

Australian Police & Emergency Services Leadership Summit

13-14 July 2009 Melbourne, Australia
Workplace Training Advisory Australia is the organiser of this Summit which will be attended by a broad spectrum of middle and upper level managers from Australian and New Zealand Police and Emergency Services organizations. Number of not-for-profit organisations involved in emergency services and crisis response will attend as well.
For further information contact Kathleen Wilmott at kwilmott [at] wtaa [dot] com [dot] au or visit www.wtaa.com.au.

International Not-For-Profit Convention & Exhibition

11-13 November 2009 Sunshine Coast, Australia
This event brings you three days of essential learning for these changing times. There will be opportunity for peer-networking, professional development and organisational capacity building in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere INCE09 represents a prime growth opportunity. Check it out on www.nfpn.com.au.

Giving and Volunteering Research Conference

9 July 2009, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Department of Philanthropic Studies at VU University, Amsterdam is hosting this conference to foster co-operation and the exchange of ideas between academic researchers and practitioners from the philanthropic sector. Paper proposals are due by 1 May, with full papers due by 25 June 2009. If you are interested in presenting a paper, contact r [dot] bekkers [at] fsw [dot] vu [dot] nz or read more about the conference online at www.ngopulse.org or www.giving.nl.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

State-of-Art of Australian CSR - new report

The largest survey ever undertaken on corporate social responsibility in Australia, the State of CSR in Australia: 2008 Annual Review, was published this month by the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility. It shows that the number of CSR management roles is expected to grow by up to 20% in 2009, with over one-quarter (28%) of organisations surveyed planning to create one or more new CSR roles this year.

However, CSR jobs are still largely in the "hidden" job market, with half those employed being internally recruited and another 18% using personal networks to find jobs. Only 16% got their jobs through a recruitment company or by responding to an advertisement.

Some of the key findings:

• The typical CSR manager is well-educated, female and aged between 26 and 44. She is employed by a company or a government business enterprise, was internally recruited, and has worked in CSR for less than five years.
• CSR teams are small and budgets are generally modest. CSR managers therefore need to be very adept at creating influence and impact with few resources
• CSR work is very diverse. It can include working directly with internal or external stakeholders on social or environmental issues, developing policy, implementing programs, measurement, and communication and reporting.
• CSR managers get intrinsic rewards from working in CSR. Their work is aligned with their personal values; they learn new skills and deal with important issues.

For more information go to www.accsr.com.au.

Civic Internships in the Netherlands

In 2007 the Dutch government introduced a law to implement Civic Internships into the Dutch secondary school curriculum in order to help young people to develop skills, necessary to participate in society. This programme envisages that every pupil will engage in 72 hours of community service; participating one day a week for a period of three months in the activities of the non-profit sector.

Most of the funding for the programme is going directly to the schools with the schools being responsible for its implementation into the curriculum. They are also responsible for the preparation, execution and evaluation of the community service hours for every student. The national organisation for civic engagement MOVISIE is providing the support for the community organisations in which these volunteers get engaged. They hope this programme apart from building new partnerships will help in building a new sustainable infrastructure.
For further information visit www.movisie.nl.

Recruiting skilled volunteers helps to survive recession

Source: Third Sector Online
Recruiting volunteers for their professional expertise will help charities to survive the recession, according to Jon Snow, presenter of the UK Channel Four News and deputy chair of communications charity the Media Trust. Snow is also a trustee of the Médecins du Monde UK and a former trustee of the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery.

He says people in his newsroom would not be receptive to charity appeals for volunteers to hand out soup, but would be willing to lend help with web design and communications. He gives the example of an architect who had organised a competition to design new premises for the New Horizon Youth Centre in London, which Snow has chaired since 1986.

"He didn't know he was a volunteer, but he comes in for about four minutes once a fortnight and it is like gold dust to us," he said. "He wouldn't want to talk to a young woman about how to get her off the game, but he is passionate about making buildings fit for purpose. Most people don't want to volunteer for charities because they think they would only look after old or unemployed people."

Snow says that once professional volunteers learned more about charity projects their involvement could expand. He also thinks the charities should invest in their websites as a way of attracting volunteers, particularly those who had become unemployed during the recession. "This is the glory of the web," he says. "We have to be in the marketplace so that people notice us and want to be part of it."

Talent Year FE programme for college volunteer champions

The UK youth volunteering charity V is launching a £9m fund to encourage students at sixth-form colleges to do voluntary work. The programme is the latest strand in the UK government-backed organisation's Talent Year programme, a national volunteering programme to match young volunteers with placements in the public sector.

The new programme, called Talent Year FE, will support one volunteer in each of 32 colleges for two years to set up new volunteering programmes for students and act as a champion for voluntary work.

The 'champions' will not be paid but it is expected that they will receive personal development grants to help with education or training costs. It is likely that they will be local people aged between 16 and 25 who are not in employment, education or training, such as university graduates struggling to find work.

The new volunteering schemes will include mentoring and buddying systems for hard-to-reach young people, learning support services and projects supporting the transition from school to further education.

UK companies reluctant to pay for staff volunteering schemes

Source: Third Sector Online
Eighty-five per cent of businesses that make enquiries about employee volunteering schemes back off when they realise they have to pay for them, according to the UK volunteering charity CSV.
CSV recently published the experiences of the many volunteering organisations which are showing that many firms had little understanding of the voluntary sector and unrealistic expectations of it. Some businesses even expect voluntary organisations to pay them to send volunteers to projects.

There is a need for businesses to realise that organising volunteering doesn't come for free and that it can take a long time to set projects up. Some businesses in order to avoid the costs of services are targeting voluntary groups directly rather than through brokering agencies.

One of the explanations for the current trends comes from Fabia Bates, director of research and consultancy firm RedCCI in London. She says that the private sector firms are cutting their charitable donations and using employee volunteering to keep up their community investment. This means they're reluctant to pay for it. On the other side the voluntary groups don't complain because they hope the businesses will fund them in future.

RESOURCES and EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

With Volunteer Awareness Week behind us, VNZ is putting all of its forces in organising another to be successful national volunteering event - the "Volunteering Unleased" conference. If you haven't decided yet to participate in one way or another, please read the E. Pavlina's reasons why events in the areas of your personal and professional interests are worth attending. It might help you decide. Two new resources for every organisation seriously working with volunteers have been published recently and we are suggesting you to check them out.

The Value of Attending Conferences

By Erin Pavlina
Source: erinpavlina.com
Do you make it a point to attend conferences in fields you're interested in? Are you aware of the incredible wellspring of experiential information you will get from attending a conference? Do you want to meet other people with similar goals and interests? Go to conferences I tell you! Make a point to go to at least one conference per year, and more if you're able.

I didn't attend my first conference until I met Steve nearly 15 years ago. He convinced me to attend a Tony Robbins' seminar where I walked on fire, and got burned actually, but it was still an incredible experience. What I liked most about it was hearing and seeing Tony in person, and going through the exercises on my own and with other people. After that experience, I started to see conferences as really valuable. Here are just a few things that I find valuable about attending conferences and also seminars, workshops, and lectures.

Finding Your Tribe
I absolutely loved attending Hay House's I Can Do It conference. I had no idea there were so many other people like me. The people who to go that conference tend to be highly spiritual, lightworker types who just broadcast love, light, and peace. Basking in that energy for a few days totally raised my vibration. I think it really helps to know there are other people out there with similar goals and interests as you. You can make new friends at a conference because you're already compatible in at least one major area of your life.

This past weekend I attended the Las Vegas Writer's Conference. The other people who attended this conference were soul-brothers and sisters on a different level than those I met at the I Can Do It conference. They merged with another aspect of me, Erin the Fiction Writer. I sat down next to an older gentleman and simply said, "Hi, I'm Erin Pavlina. First time here. So, what are you writing?" We became buddies the rest of the conference. I met other people who live here in town with me that I am sure I will see again because of this conference.

Making Good Contacts
Another great benefit of attending conferences is meeting people who can help you on your path. At the Writer's conference I met publishers, agents, and authors who I connected with. We were all given the go-ahead to follow up via email with everyone. That's valuable. You're no longer a name without a face, so when you send an email you can start off with, "At the Las Vegas Writer's Conference this past weekend you mentioned XYZ and I had a follow up question to that…"

Offering Your Service
Most conferences I've attended have exhibitors. These are people with a product or service that they want to sell to conference attendees. Since they know so many will be in one place, it makes sense for them to shell out the dough to get a booth or table. Conference attendees will walk by the table or booth many times, giving exhibitors a chance to get their attention. So think about exhibiting your product or service at a conference in your industry.

Practicing Your Skills
Many conferences offer training or exercises designed to help you in business or your personal life. At the I Can Do It conference, I usually attend the pre-conference workshop on Friday where I get to train with an expert like psychic medium John Holland. Having the expert right there is unparalleled. Instead of reading a book or listening to an audio program, you get to listen to them directly and ask questions right then and there. At the Celebrate Your Life conference I got to spend a day honing my medium skills with James Van Praagh. At the Tony Robbins seminar I got to practice modeling and mirroring techniques with other attendees.

Getting the Latest
When experts present at conferences they usually talk about what's new in the field. The last Celebrate Your Life conference I attended in Phoenix, Arizona, saw Gregg Braden asking the audience permission to present brand new material from his book that hadn't even been published yet. We all agreed wholeheartedly to his request.

If you're going to a conference in your business field, you'll likely hear experts talking about the latest practices, innovations, products, or services which could give you a leg up on your competition.

When I ran VegFamily magazine I used to attend the Natural Products Expo every year where companies showcase products they are trying to get in the stores. Sometimes I got to sample products that NEVER made it onto a store shelf. I would go back home and write about the products coming to market, which gave me a lot of credibility in my industry.

Becoming a Speaker
Steve and I attended the Hay House I Can Do It conference several times before Steve became one of their authors. He was asked to speak at two subsequent conferences. He also spoke at the Game Developer's Conference back when he had his computer games company, Dexterity Software. Becoming a speaker at a conference often gives you the opportunity to network with the other speakers. How would you like to have dinner with people you used to pay money to see? Becoming a speaker at a conference is a great way to get to the inside track and make valuable connections.

Getting Jazzed Again
Attending a conference is a great way to inject a new energy into your life, whether for business or personal reasons. Attending the Writer's conference has me all excited to write fiction again. When we go to the I Can Do It conference I get jazzed about developing my spirituality. When I went to the Natural Products Expo I would … well, just gain weight from eating tons of samples, but I'd come home and write about all the cool products coming out to get other people jazzed.

***
Find a conference you want to go to. Sometimes they last a week and sometimes just a day or two. Google "conference" and "(your subject)" and see what comes up. If you're lucky you can find one in your area. If you're serious about a subject, a conference or seminar should be part of your path. You'll get a lot out of attending. I know I have.

Homeless youth and volunteering - the good practice guide

This report is the culmination of a one-year v funded programme to provide volunteering opportunities to 52 homeless young people in London and Newcastle. Crisis produced a 'good practice guide' to enable other organisations follow a similar process.

Dr Angela Ellis Paine, Director of the Institue of Volunteering Research at Volunteering England describes the guide as "a welcome and timely addition to the growing body of literature on how to involve 'hard to reach' groups in volunteering. Rather than providing (more) 'good practice' advice and guidance in the traditional sense however, this report tells it as it is, or at least how it was for one organisation." Download the Good Practice Guide - PDF Version here.

A guide for migrant volunteers

To assist newly arrived migrants Volunteer West in Australia has developed Opening up Opportunities - a guide to volunteering in Australia. Although focusing on Australian context, this Guide is transferable to many other communities experiencing a significant increase in volunteer enquiries from newly arrived migrants and refugees.

To obtain a copy get in touch with Karen Dimmock or Judith Myers at Volunteer West on +62 3 9687 7661 or info [at] volunteerwest [dot] org [dot] au

Volunteer Management Education Books for Sale

Volunteering NZ has for sale copies of four books written by Linda Graff on developing policies and risk management for volunteering programmes. The titles and prices are:

Best of All - Quick reference Guide to Best Practice $46.00
Better Safe - Risk Management for Volunteer Programmes $46.00
Beyond Police Checks - Screening Guidebook $46.00
By Definition - Policies for Volunteer Programmes $36.00

We also have copies of Mary Woods' book
Volunteers, A guide for Volunteers an their Organisations $25.00

Postage and Handling
Up to 2 publications $5.50 3 or more publication $10.00

All the prices are GST inclusive.

Posters "Do a World of Good - Volunteer" suitable for general promotions and recruiting volunteers are available free from VNZ.

Orders for all may be faxed to 04 3843637 or emailed to office [at] volunteeringnz [dot] org [dot] nz.
Payment may be made by cheque or credit card. If wishing to pay by credit card we will send you documentation to complete and return.