A pilot program run in six South Australian secondary schools, encouraging young people to take up volunteering in their local communities, has resulted in more than 400 students clocking up 10,000 hours of volunteering.
The Volunteering SA&NT initiative, which is backed by $125,000 in State Government funding over two years, is a partnership with the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) New Zealand, which began following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010, mobilising students to help with recovery efforts.
The five South Australian students who pitched in the most volunteering hours were celebrated at an awards ceremony this week, attended by Human Services Minister Nat Cook and Education Minister Blair Boyer.
Berri Secondary College student Lily Rothe volunteered 303 hours as part of the pilot through local sporting clubs, school community, Cottage Homes and her local Lions Club.
“The program is an amazing way to encourage those who are thinking about volunteering or want to do more volunteering to become involved in their community,” Lily said.
“What I enjoy most about volunteering is being able to help others who either can’t afford to or want to improve something in the community, whether it be wellbeing or environmental.”
The South Australian SVA pilot uses an app to track and celebrate voluntary service with badges and resume-ready summaries.
A summary of volunteer service can be downloaded and has been designed as a document that can be used in job interviews and other selection processes, such as apprenticeships, scholarships, and further study.
Minister for Human Services, Nat Cook, said volunteering in South Australia was significantly impacted through the COVID pandemic.
“As Minister, I have been really keen to see young people getting more connected and involved in their communities and helping to rebuild our state’s volunteering ranks,” she said.
“The pilot program run in six secondary schools across the state has provided a bit of competition for the students and it was great to meet those students who have gone above and beyond in giving back to their communities this week.
The Malinauskas Labor Government has invested $340,000 over two years into Volunteering SA&NT to support the implementation of the SA Volunteering Strategy. The Student Volunteer Army is one of five key projects that is bringing this strategy to life.
Hamilton Calder, Chief Executive Officer at Volunteering SA&NT said the organisation was thrilled with the results of the pilot program and would love to see it used in schools right across the state.
“The future of volunteering is in good hands when you see how many hours these students have given back to their communities.”
