National Volunteer Week 2024
This week, 20-26 May, is National Volunteer Week! This week is an opportunity to highlight the diligence and hard work of volunteers all across the country. This year’s theme is ‘Something for Everyone’ – recognising the diverse passions and talents everyone brings to the act of volunteering.
At CMY, our volunteers are at the heart of what we do, and we cannot thank them enough for the passion, lived experience and commitment they bring to supporting young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Their support helps in shaping young people’s experiences of their community and Australian society more broadly.
Around 500 volunteers from all different backgrounds are involved in a range of CMY programs including mentoring young jobseekers, sharing insights with newly-arrived young people on their settlement journey, supporting young people in police custody, or contributing to our youth leadership programs.
For National Volunteer Week, we asked a few of our volunteers why they chose to get involved and why volunteering is important to them. Here’s what they had to say:
“I had a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of young people by ensuring they have access to fair treatment and support. The opportunity to volunteer with YRIPP aligns with my commitment to social justice and my belief in the potential for positive change through compassionate and informed intervention.”
Beth, YRIPP volunteer
“The experience opens your mind a lot – programs like Ucan2 allow you to see the direct effect for newly settled people and that really matters to society, especially in times like now.”
Daniel, Ucan2 volunteer
“I wanted to be involved in volunteering that was flexible, unpredictable, challenging, community based and worthwhile. YRIPP ticked all of those boxes!”
Paul, YRIPP volunteer
“One of my favorite things about volunteering is definitely getting to know the community more, and hearing stories about people’s backgrounds as a multicultural individual.”
Ashia, Gippsland Youth Advisory Group
Find out more about volunteer opportunities with CMY here.