Recommendations

Based on the information presented in this report, Wesley Mission Sydney makes the following recommendations with the conviction that volunteering must continue to be regarded as a worthwhile use of time and as a valuable contribution which builds community.

That corporate organisations adopt a commitment which encourages and supports their staff to volunteer within the not-for-profit sector, sharing their expertise and thereby contributing to community development.

That State and Federal Governments acknowledge the contributions of volunteers each year by totaling and recording the fiscal value of volunteer activity.

That Federal Government funds a Volunteer Insurance Scheme, especially for the not-for-profit sector, which would encourage more community activity.

That volunteers who seek training and skill development through their volunteer experience to enhance their employment opportunities, consider contributing to that community service organisation in an equal capacity.

That university students be encouraged to complete a number of community service hours which would be recorded on their degree transcript. This would enhance a student’s working knowledge and their understanding of the wider community before commencing employment.

That ‘Volunteering’ and the concept of ‘Active Citizenship’ be introduced into the school curriculum.

The Universal Declaration on Volunteering

Volunteering is a fundamental building block of civil society. It brings to life the noblest aspirations of humankind – the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity, safety and justice for all people. In this era of globalisation and continuous change, the world is becoming smaller, more interdependent, and more complex. Volunteering - either through individual or group action - is a way in which:

• human values of community, caring, and serving can be sustained and strengthened;

• individuals can exercise their rights and responsibilities as members of communities, while learning and growing throughout their lives, realising their full human potential; and,

• connections can be made across differences that push us apart so that we can live together in healthy, sustainable communities, working together to provide innovative solutions to our shared challenges and to shape our collective destinies.

At the dawn of the new millennium, volunteering is an essential element of all societies. It turns into practical, effective action the declaration of the United Nations that “We, the Peoples” have the power to change the world.

16th IAVE World Volunteers Conference held on the 14th-18th January 2001, Amsterdam, Netherlands