itality vVolunteering SA&NT Inc. Summer 09-10 Rewarding Partnerships Salisbury Healthy Ageing Youth Mentoring Week The Unsung Hero Award Councils Highest Civic Award IN THIS ISSUE Contents From the Desk of the CEO 1 6 Report from the Board 2 VSA&NT’s AGM 2009 3 Office for Volunteers 4 Changing Landscape of Volunteering 5 Salisbury Healthy Ageing 6 Council’s Highest Civic Award 7 Training 8 Cover and pictured above: Corporate Group 9 Pam Hirst and Tom Whitney, volunteers from 9 Zoos SA on duty at the Royal Adelaide Show promoting the arrival of the pandas. Youth Mentoring Week 10 Photographer: Kaye Mahomet Rewarding Partnerships 11 Volunteering SA & NT Inc. Head Office DesertSMART ECOFair 2009 12 1st Floor Torrens Building 0 Victoria Square Inaugural Hermannsburg 2009 Adelaide SA 5000 www.volunteeringsa.org.au 14 Music and Arts Festival- Board: Heritage Precinct 13 Janet Stone (Chairman), Julie Pollard (Deputy Chair), Tim Jackson (Treasurer), Mark Witham, International Volunteering Bruce Hammond, Evelyn O’Loughlin, Karen Buenger, Richard Geyer, Joe Capozza 0 Presentation 14 CEO: Evelyn O’Loughlin Top End Managers Meeting 15 Editor: Denese Wyatt Charity Services Survey 15 [email protected] Kaye’s Corner 16 Advertising & Graphic Design: Robyn Haworth [email protected] DEH Volunteer Awards & Friends Staff, Volunteers, Consultants: of Parks Inc Awards 17 Tracey Miller, Martyn Paxton, Sascha Loffler, Robyn Haworth, Annette Barlow, Kaye Mahomet, Jo Larkin, Liam Hanna, Alexander Reintegrating Offenders Through Werchon, Anna Williamson, Denese Wyatt, Ellen Volunteering 18 Tindale, Shirley Terrell, Sue Keith, Courtney Davidson, Alia Lovecraft, James Sadler, Robyn 1 Toi, Lynette Bacon, John Carli, Kyla Casey, Top Ten ‘People’ Tips for 2010 19 Courtney Davidson, Socheat Chak, Pam Evans, Mark Fielder, Richard Geyer, Pauline Keane, Sue Deadline for Autumn IGA’s Community Chest Keith, Janis Kerr, John Kimber, Eva Lawrence, Alastair McFarlane, Erica Majba, Tony Mitchell, 2010 Edition Unsung Heroes Awards 20 Fran Moore, Jane Osborn, Joseph Rankoff, Josephine Swiggs, Shirley Terrell, Ellen Tindale, Bookings 22 January International Volunteer Ian Tonkin, Bob Watson, Alex Werchon, Izaac Griffin, Anita Griffin, Jackie Campbell, D’Arcy Artwork 5 February Manager’s Day 20 Lunn, Carmel Vandermolen, Peter Watters, Letter box 8 March Eleonora Zappia & Associates, EPAC Salary Solutions, Bliss Web Engine, Business SA, Louanne Johns Recognised by Community Sector Business Services, MHM, the Unsung Hero Program 21 youGROW Pty Ltd, Ariel Printing, Pride Business Solutions Pty Ltd, Volunteering WA, Teresa Forest, Josephine Swiggs, Alchemy Training, Subscribe to Creation of a CATS Car 22 Edvance Diversity, Troy Poulish, Jennifer Adams. Volunteering SA&NT’s There’s no stopping Bette 23 Students: quarterly Magazine. Josh Wells, Smitha Sugathan, Yu Shimonosono. South Australian of the Year 23 Partners - Aboriginal Reference Group: [email protected] Bruce Hammond, Herb Mack, Ken Liddle, Out and About 24 Maxine Turner, Lenore Chantrelle, Fiona or phone 08 8221 7177 Coulthard/Stanley, Elizabeth Hurrell, Jessica VSA&NT Members & Partners 25 Koolmatrie, Anna Caponi. © Volunteering SA&NT Inc. Articles may be reproduced providing copyright is acknowledged. Publishing date December 009. The opinions expressed in this newsletter Pageare not necessarily shared by Volunteering SA&NT Inc. CEO REPORT From the Desk of the CEO Evelyn O’Loughlin Chief Executive Officer Volunteering SA & NT (VSA&NT) People who know me, know that I am keen to learn from This presupposes that all the voices of the various interests history and not to re-invent the wheel, so it was serendipitous that comprise our society can speak in a way that ensures they that I came across an excellent document from ACOSS, the will at least be heard, if not heeded. This is obviously easier Australian Council of Social Service, when asked recently for some than for others. The voices of particularly what is the nature of peak bodies and their relationship to disadvantaged groups are likely to be softer and more government. fragmented than those of powerful groups because, by definition, they lack the resources to organise and present Ten years ago ACOSS provided this response, which is still very their interests in an effective way in the public arena. relevant today ... This simple fact has long been recognised by Australian “The starting point of any consideration of public funding governments of all political persuasions. It is the reason why arrangements for peak bodies must be a real understanding they have provided public funding for these particularly that they are autonomous organisations that arise from disadvantaged public voices - to ensure they are not silenced genuine community demand and need. Their legitimacy in the democratic debate which is the very essence of our derives only from their own community constituencies; society and so fundamental to good governance.” 1 it cannot be conferred by any other source, including government. Defining the primary purpose of a peak organisation may include representing the interests of an identified While democratic governments can facilitate the practical ability of peak bodies to carry out their functions, they sector, group or constituency, and to do this, a range of cannot create or reconfigure peak bodies to suit their own identifiable functions needs to be fulfilled. These include policy and political needs or priorities. To attempt to do membership by other allied organisations; representation of so would be illogical and self-defeating because it would members views and the types of activities undertaken; the destroy the very value that genuine peak bodies provide to nature of governance arrangements; leadership on policy governments. and service issues and - primarily advocacy and engagement. The value of community sector peak bodies to governments Volunteering SA&NT has risen from genuine community is their capacity to help those governments fulfil their demand and need and it is our business to provide a credible basic right and responsibility - that is, their right to govern and informed voice in volunteering. Volunteering is and their responsibility to govern in the public interest. an important mechanism for empowerment through This fundamental mandate cannot be achieved unless participation in the democratic processes. governments listen to, and weigh up, the various competing interests in the community. Only in this way can the over- If you would like to help us improve volunteering and provide arching ‘public interest’ be identified and then implemented a strong voice for the volunteer sector in our communities, we with any degree of public consensus. welcome hearing from you. 1 ACOSS 000, Funding Peak Bodies: ACOSS Response Info 18 October 001 (pp 1-) Page 1 FROM THE BOARD Report from the Board Janet Stone Chair , Volunteering SA & NT Past President, Volunteering Australia (VA) have been able to achieve as an organisation including a very healthy financial result that places Volunteering Australia on a sound footing for the future. I am pleased to congratulate Volunteering Australia CEO, Cary Pedicini, and the Volunteering Australia team for their diligent and hard work throughout 008-009. The achievements of Volunteering Australia reflect well on their untiring work in support of volunteering. Key events such as the 1th National Conference on Volunteering and National Volunteer Week have been resounding successes, whilst the policy and research work undertaken has been important to the sector. My time as President of Volunteering Australia and as a I would also like to thank the Board Members of Volunteering Foundation Board Member, came to an end at the Annual Australia for their amazing commitment and support. General Meeting on November 0 009. What a challenging Particular thanks go to those who join me in retiring from the and rewarding position it has been for anyone to take on. I am board at the AGM. Major General Hori Howard and Richard honoured to have had the opportunity over the last four years, Hammond (Volunteering Tasmania Board representative) to contribute to our volunteering sector at a national level have made excellent contributions to Volunteering Australia from many perspectives: as an individual, a representative of and I thank them for their work and wish them well for the VSA&NT and with the additional knowledge of South Australia future. I welcome Dr. Mark Witham, VSA&NT’s new VA Board through my role on the Volunteer Ministerial Advisory Group. representative and I am confident that he will ensure our state The achievements of Volunteering Australia have been volunteering sector is represented at the national level. I am remarkable given the challenges faced along the way, sure the new Board Members will take up the challenge of including the global financial crisis, that have placed significant ensuring Volunteering Australia remains a vital and important pressures on many organisations. I am very proud of what we representative of volunteering issues nationally. New VSA&NT Board Members announced at the VSA&NT AGM L to R Bruce Hammond, Janet Stone, Evelyn O’Loughlin, Mark Witham, Richard Geyer, Jo Capozza, Karen Buenger Page VSA&NT’s AGM 2009 VSA&NT’s AGM 2009 Excerpts from the VSA&NT Annual Report, presented “An enjoyable aspect of my work has been developing to 75 members and guests at the 009 Annual long term solutions, processes, systems, with new General Meeting breakfast at Ayers House on hardware and software to improve VSA&NT’s Information 14 October 009: and Communication Technologies infrastructure. We are working on a new website, new referral database, “Through our advocacy and capacity building activities, new membership database and an over-arching data VSA&NT has continued to support centres throughout warehousing system, all due to be in place within the next SA as well as working directly with volunteer involving six months. These new ICT tools will assist us to be more organisations in SA and NT to enhance volunteer practice. efficient in our work, reduce duplication and increase volunteer and staff satisfaction.