New Year spirit lifts interest in volunteering overseas
16 February 2008
Australia's volunteering spirit is alive and well, but for
organisations like Australian Volunteers International it is the
post-Christmas and New Year period that generates the most interest
in its overseas volunteer placements.
Australia's volunteering spirit is
alive and well, but for organisations like Australian Volunteers
International it is the post-Christmas and New Year period that
generates the most interest in its overseas volunteer
placements.
Between December and February, AVI's
website visits increase by up to 30 percent, expressions of
interest in volunteering peak, and attendance at its information
sessions can triple in some capital cities.
According to AVI marketing manager
Christine Crosby, the only time AVI has received more interest from
the Australian public to work overseas was the period after the
2004 Boxing Day tsunami, where website hits quadrupled and the
organisation received up to 10,000 calls per week.
"AVI is always overwhelmed by the
willingness of individuals to want to share their skills as a paid
professional volunteer in an overseas community," she said.
"However, we hope this new-year inspired interest in working
overseas translates into more applications during our
February/March Recruitment Drive.
"We really need this to happen
because we have found that interest levels and applications drop by
May, as we believe many people have settle into jobs or make other
commitments."
Despite this change in interest
levels throughout the year, the reasons why people are willing to
volunteer remain constant.
"A sense of altruism remains the
number one reason for volunteering overseas, closely followed by
personal growth and learning. In third place it is the Australian
sense of adventure that is the key motivating factor for doing an
AVI assignment," Ms Crosby said.
Other motivations for taking on a
volunteer assignment include career advancement, interest in
working in the development sector and cultural exchange. Last on
the list is spirituality.
Whatever the motivation, AVI is
recruiting for up to 100 positions for the Middle East, Asia, the
Pacific and the Middle East.
"AVI's February recruitment drive has
a job for almost any profession. There is huge demand for media and
communications professionals in Fiji, Swaziland, South Africa and
Thailand. As usual there is a need for nurses, with positions in
Syria, Papua New Guinea and Malawi, and with the strong demand for
Australian education professionals can chose from over 15 positions
in as many countries," Ms Crosby said.
"There are also a few one-of-a-kind
roles; including a petroleum lecturer and trainer for Timor-Leste,
a breast cancer research adviser in Swaziland or a boat builder in
Kiribati."
- Ends -
View all the new volunteer assignments.
For more information
contact:
Christine Crosby
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Australian Volunteers International
Phone: +61 (0)3 9279 1763
Email: ccrosby@australianvolunteers.com