It Takes All Sorts

August 17, 2014

It Takes All Sorts

Diversity is the theme of the moment, popping up in workshops around the country, promoted on websites, and a national forum is to be held next week, with a focus on migrant and refugee employment.

New Zealand is now recognised as one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world.  Without overlooking our bicultural heritage we need to acknowledge the 213 ethnicities that are living here in Aotearoa.  You could say we have become a melting pot for the 21^st century.  So what does this mean for the voluntary and community sector?

Volunteering is a well-travelled route for new migrants, for offering work experience, for improving language skills, for getting to know local communities.  There are countless success stories, and many continue their volunteer involvement long after they find paid work.

But diversity is wider than including ethnic groups.  There’s a huge range of skills, interests, ages and abilities in our population to contribute to volunteering in our communities.   And when this diversity is set alongside the diversity of volunteer organisations and their members and users we could be entering a golden age of volunteering.

So let’s look at developing further all those different volunteer streams.

Corporate volunteering is increasing in bounds, especially when it is organised through the local Volunteer Centre.   (Find out more here – Employees in the Community)  Corporate groups can tackle large-scale projects or special ventures for organisations, or offer pro bono services.  Here is a way to introduce people to the excitement, the creative stimulation, the camaraderie and companionship that volunteering can offer, which can then spin-off to a continuing involvement for individuals.

Engaging people with disabilities is not a new source of volunteers, not if you have an open mind and a focus on ability.  Disabled people might need accessible facilities or extra support (see this useful model) – but to exclude them from volunteering opportunities is to deny their participation as members of our communities.   There are plenty of examples where disabled or chronically-ill people are helping their fellows, or working in another field altogether.  Well-planned programmes bring benefits to disabled people and to the organisation, and to our communities.

Gen Y and Millenials get a lot of public attention these days.  There is quite an industry devoted to encouraging young people into volunteering.  Yet I note plenty of examples where these generations are doing boots-and-all stuff in their communities, creating and sustaining initiatives and developing social enterprises, and their own strategies to counter limited opportunities in mainstream employment.  The story of the Student Volunteer Army is a good example.  At the same time traditional volunteer services are proving they are open to engaging with young people.

Internship programmes offer another point of entry to volunteering for young people.  Despite concerns and debates the best programmes will be ensuring benefits to both organisation and the intern.  And if they have not discovered volunteering previously the interns I meet are also discovering community and the world beyond paid employment.

The Boomer generation is another significant population group, yet we hear little about them as volunteers.  Are they being ignored?  As the community movers and shakers of times past is their continuing involvement being taken for granted?  Like all other volunteers older people are looking beyond stuffing envelopes for challenges relevant to their knowledge and skills.   There is still a place for cross-generational mix, and without full representation in the volunteer pool then the claim to diversity is diminished.

It takes all sorts to achieve the best in volunteering.  I’ve said all this before, but some things are worth repeating.

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