Demand for volunteers has never been greater however those putting themselves forward to help out the community is falling. Cade Lucas speaks with volunteers, young and old, bucking that trend.
Volunteers are crucial in times of need.
Whether it be CFA, SES, St John’s Ambulance or Salvation Army, so many people who help out when disaster strikes or times are tough, do so for free.
So it’s grimly ironic then that the cost of living crisis that is leaving many in need of help, is preventing people from volunteering to provide that help.
That is one of the takeaways from the latest volunteering report released by employment website SEEK.
Covering the 12 months to June 2023, the report found 25,700 volunteer opportunities were advertised on the SEEK Volunteer site – Australia’s largest – an increase of 7 per cent.
But while demand rose, the number of people volunteering to meet it went the other way, with applications dropping by 3 per cent, following a 7 per cent reduction the year before.
Head of SEEK Volunteer Rebecca Miller said the unusual combination of tough economic times and low unemployment, meant people couldn’t afford the time or the money to volunteer.
“In the current climate, with Australians suffering under increasing financial stress, and more people in work than ever before, time is at a premium, and volunteering work is naturally being deprioritised for paid work,” Ms Miller said.
It’s a point the sector’s peak body, Volunteering Australia, made earlier this year.
“Financial strain is a significant barrier to volunteering in Australia,” began VA’s submission to a Senate Select Committee on the Cost of Living in April.
The submission said 16.6 per cent of people didn’t volunteer in the previous year because of financial concerns and was even worse in younger age groups.
“Financial barriers were more significant for young people, with 25.5 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 years indicating that they did not volunteer for financial reasons.“
According to the submission, it’s a malaise that long pre-dates inflation and COVID-19.
“The rate of volunteering has decreased considerably over the past two decades. The rate of formal volunteering has been gradually declining from around one-third of adults in 2002 to around one-quarter currently.”
As the SEEK report is a pains to point out though, the decline in volunteer numbers isn’t necesarilly because less people want to.
“Visits to volunteer.com.au increased by 8 per cent indicating that there is still interest in volunteering but this interest is not being converted into applications.”
Changes in lifestyle rather than finances would appear to explain why.
As noted elsewhere in the report, volunteers are more than twice as likely to apply for one-off volunteering
opportunities, yet 75 per cent of volunteer roles require a minimum six-month time commitment.
On top of that, only 12 per cent of opportunities could be undertaken remotely, down 4 per cent on the previous year.
However, given the range and diversity of volunteer roles – from emergency services to op-shops, to sporting clubs – broad figures don’t reveal the full story.
“Over the past year, opportunities and applications have grown in most states and territories,“ said Rebecca Miller, pointing out that outlier results dragged the overall numbers down.
“Applications in New South Wales, which has one of the largest proportions of opportunities, saw a significant rise over the past year, whereas application volumes halved in Tasmania year-on-year.”
Western Australia also recorded a 20 per cent drop in applications while Victoria rose in both categories; 12 per cent in volunteer opportunities and 1 per cent in applications.
Among some cohorts volunteer numbers are actually experiencing a spike.
Jasvinder Sidhu runs Wyndham food charity Lets Feed, with many of his volunteers coming from the local Indian community, including an increasing number of elderly Sikhs.
“It started with 4 or 5 volunteers and now we have 20,” said Mr Sidhu of the influx which includes his 80 year old father Gurnam.
“As an elderly Sikh volunteer, I find immense strength in Sikhism through our core principle of ’Seva’ or selfless service,” said Gurnma Sidhu about how his faith drives his volunteering.
“This tradition (Seva) teaches us that helping others is a source of spiritual growth and fulfillment. It’s a testament to our commitment to equality, as we serve without discrimination, regardless of one’s background. Through volunteering, I experience the power of Sikhism in action, fostering strong communities, promoting compassion, and leaving a positive impact on the world.”
While many elderly Sikhs are taking up volunteering, many other long serving volunteers are also elderly and in the case of Werribee’s Pat Pititto, looking after the elderly too.
“I just keep rolling up every year and they keep opening the door and letting me in” said Ms Pititto, 80, who has been volunteering at Wyndham Lodge aged care facility for 20 years and has no plans to stop anytime soon.
Volunteers are considered vital to future of the aged care sector as Australia’s population grows older and Ms Pititto said their role was important, both for residents and staff.
“Because the nursing staff are very busy, we’ve got the time to go into their (residents) rooms, sit down have a chat, and listen. There’s no time limit. You might spend 10 mins in one room and less in the other because some don’t want to chat on a certain day.”
Ms Pititto said working in aged care facilities wasn’t for everyone and, with the exception of work experience students, younger volunteers were harder to come by.
This hasn’t been a problem though for the Werribee Historical Society, whose vice president Lisa Heinrichs explained how the organisation is reaching young volunteers.
“We’ve actually started a social media presence which we haven’t had before,” said Ms Heinrichs.
“We’re doing Tik-Tok videos and Facebook and Instagram accounts and so we’re getting the attention of younger people in the community who are thankfully coming in and signing up as members and volunteering their time”.
Among them are Jacob and Amy who have recently joined to help digitise old newspaper clippings and photos.
These examples demonstrate how volunteering covers as broad a range of roles as it does people and attracting and keeping them is an ever evolving challenge.
As SEEK’s Rebecca Miller said, the only certainty in volunteering is that it will always be needed.
“While the level and type of opportunities can vary depending on location and population demographics, there is a collective and increasing need for people to lend a hand.“
