Introduction
Volunteers reflect the breadth and diversity of Australian society and bring with them unique experiences from different backgrounds.
Volunteering is something that people chose to do freely without an expectation of payment and for the benefit of the community. While informal volunteering activities like caring for neighbours and assisting family are valued, the emphasis on this publication is on formal volunteering which takes place through not-for-profit organisations.
Volunteers work in all areas of the community and perform many different activities. They are in health and welfare, arts and culture, heritage, environment and conservation, sport and recreation, education, religion, human rights and emergency services. Volunteers visit the elderly for social contact, assist in the school canteen, coach sport teams, raise funds, participate in surf life saving and operate youth groups.
Within Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities there is an enormous amount of what would be termed volunteering or community effort. However, cultural and linguistic differences mean much of that activity is not formalised and hence, within the commonly accepted frames of reference, is generally not acknowledged and fails to attract both material support and wider recognition.