Have you ever stopped and looked at just how many people are needed to make your community great?
From the arts, education, emergency services, sports and environment to health, community welfare, aged care, and disability services, more than 6 million Australians volunteer their time and skills to make a world of difference, contributing an estimated $290 billion to our economy each year.
It's estimated that there are 1 BILLION volunteers worldwide. That's the equivalent to 109 million full-time employees, willingly giving their time for the common good, without any financial gain. Where would we be without volunteers!?
This year Volunteering Australia will be celebrating 30 years of National Volunteer Week and we're taking the opportunity to shout a huge THANK YOU to all the valuable volunteers out there...
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Love Sport? Let's learn about... Volunteering
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Volunteers are at the heart of Maccabi!
Like most sports organisations, volunteering is at the heart of Maccabi. Passionate, committed, knowledgeable and skilled, our volunteers ensure that athletes of all ages and abilities regularly engage in sport and active recreation, and build connections within our community.
The theme for this year’s National Volunteer Week is making a world of difference, and the astronomical number of volunteer hours contributed throughout the year makes a world of difference to our whole organisation.
Through the All Abilities program, we not only work with volunteers wanting to help individuals with a disability participate in sport and recreation, but also assist and empower people with a disability to take on volunteer roles through mainstream Maccabi clubs and events.
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We chat with the president of the Maccabi Football club about volunteering...
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Volunteering provides pathways towards employment through the development of skills, networks and values which are increasingly sought after in professional environments. We caught up with Kevin Milstein, President of the Maccabi Football Club Caulfield and asked him for some tips on all things volunteering.
Find out what Kevin had to say here.
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Get started with volunteers in your club!
Volunteering Australia’s State of Volunteering in Australia report found that 93% of volunteers saw positive outcomes as a direct result of their voluntary participation. Are you ready to help people while they help you? Here's our top tips for getting volunteers to want to work with you.
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Identify the tasks
What roles need to be filled in your sport?
What valued tasks need to be completed to help your club run smoothly?
Do all of these tasks have to be done by the one person or can the job be shared to give more people an opportunity to step up in a way that suits them?
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Identify the people
Look within your club community for players, siblings, parents and friends who are passionate about the club and would be happy to take a more active role. Don’t let a disability be a deterrent.
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Identify the individual needs
What reasonable accommodations and adjustments do you need to make?
What additional training is required, either by the volunteer or the wider club community?
Are your resources and instructions easily communicated in appropriate formats?
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Identify the partners
Look for the people and organisations who are going to help you and your club create meaningful and inclusive volunteer opportunities. Find clubs who have advice to share, support organisations who can assist with training, and people with lived experience who can share their stories.
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Meet the volunteers
Zvi Schweitzer is one of our members at Maccabi. He is 30 years old and although his favourite sport is tennis, over the past two months Zvi has been an active volunteer at Maccabi soccer club. Zvi’s role includes assisting with coaching walking soccer, setting up equipment, greeting players and filling (in the) sign in sheet.
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The opportunity to help volunteer with Maccabi soccer club has provided Zvi with a fun and rewarding experience that makes Zvi feel “excited to get up in the morning and help others”. Zvi wouldn’t change a thing in his volunteer role saying that the role is both “fun and active”
We asked Zvi about his thoughts on the importance of volunteering, any advice he would give to potential clubs/organisations that were looking to hire or engage with some that has a disability and one piece of advice he would give to someone with a disability who has the desire to volunteer with sport...
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Zvi's advice on volunteering
1. Learn about new things and help others
2. Give each person a fair chance
3. Try and do something you like and are good at
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Resources
Are you ready to make the most of volunteering? Here's a few helpful resources to get you on your way.
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Sports Community provide training and knowledge, both in person and online, to clubs and their volunteers.
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This publication is an introduction to inclusive volunteering and provides some helpful tips for creating opportunities in the local community.
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Be Prepared! Disability and sport resource
This resource kit has been prepared for volunteers and staff who play an important role in the provision of quality sport and active recreation experiences for people with disabilities.
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Sport inclusion Australia resources
This is a list of resources to provide information about inclusion in sport. SIA hopes these resources give ideas and strategies for consideration.
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Job Access Employer Toolkit
Your one stop shop for all matters relating to disability employment. Through short video lessons and downloadable resources, you'll be empowered to hire people with disability and understand the necessary steps you need to take.
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Sport Inclusion Guide
The aim of this resource is to share local knowledge about
how to include more young people in sporting clubs and give ideas, resources, contacts, and practical ways to help young people of all abilities participate in local sporting and recreation clubs.
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Access for All
This guide provides advice, ideas, contacts and practical ways that your club can become more inclusive of people with a disability.
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Are you Onboard?
Vicsport aims to raise awareness and assist State Sport Associations, Clubs, Leagues and Associations to spread positive messages about the benefits of diversity and inclusion in sport.
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Play by the Rules
Play by the Rules provides information, resources, tools and free online training to increase the capacity and capability of administrators, coaches, officials, players, parents and spectators to assist them in preventing and dealing with discrimination, harassment, child safety, inclusion and integrity issues in sport.
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Club Help
Club Help has been developed as a "one stop shop" for local sporting clubs.
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AAA Play is an initiative supported by the Victorian Government.
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