10 June 2009

Media Release

Volunteering by youth will be highlighted during Volunteer Awareness Week

Stories about young volunteers written by AUT journalism students for publication in Auckland community newspapers will be one of the many ways youth volunteering will be highlighted during Volunteer Awareness Week said Tim Burns Executive Director of Volunteering NZ.

Youth volunteering is the key theme for Volunteer Awareness Week 2009 which begins on Sunday 14 June and runs through to Saturday 20 June.

“Several of the volunteer centres have arranged events which highlight young people volunteering or to help them learn more about how volunteering can be a great experience for them”, said Mr Burns

Volunteering Auckland’s General Manager, Cheryll Martin, will be facilitating two workshops on "Engaging Youth in Volunteer Programmes". In New Plymouth, there will be an intergenerational event where young volunteers will mix and mingle with the older generations to talk about what volunteering means to each generation.

There will be several youth focused events in Dunedin including a "Water Race" in the Octagon where students from Queens and Kings High Schools will run around the Octagon carrying water buckets to raise money and awareness for Turn on the Tap, an organisation that helps build wells and provide safe drinking water for people in third world countries.

“Volunteering by other generations will not be forgotten and many community organisations will be thanking their volunteers and highlighting the work they do,” Tim Burns said.

“Linking volunteers’ contribution to other events will be another feature of the week. In the Far North, there is a ‘Volunteers are Stars’ promotion which is being included in the Matariki celebrations being held in that region during June.”

Refugee Week is also happening during this week and volunteers play a key role in helping refugees as they settle in New Zealand. Many of these refugees go on to become volunteers themselves.

Volunteering New Zealand will be involved in a special national event which will report to a cross sector of community representatives on the work being done in the Promoting Generosity initiative. This initiative has been jointly led by Philanthropy NZ, Volunteering NZ and the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector. Its aim is to increase giving by New Zealanders in all its forms – the giving of time (volunteering), money, in kind and random acts of kindness.

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