On the 5th of December 1985, the United Nations General Assembly invited governments to annually observe International Volunteer Day (IVD) in an attempt to increase the awareness of volunteer services. In the almost forty years since its launch, IVD has become an increasingly important way to recognise the pivotal role that volunteers play around the world.
Our State of Volunteering in Queensland 2024 report revealed that in Queensland alone, 2.8 million people volunteer their time. People spend an average of 21.6 hours per month volunteering, which equates to 719.8 million hours of volunteering in 2023. The report also found that the value of volunteering to the Queensland community is $117.8 billion! You can’t argue with the facts – our volunteers are incredibly vital.
Speaking to the importance of IVD, UN Volunteers note that the day marks a celebration of the spirit of volunteerism –
“People the world over engage in volunteerism for a great variety of reasons: to help eliminate poverty and to improve basic health and education, to tackle environmental issues, to reduce the risk of disasters or to combat social exclusion and violent conflict. In all of these fields, volunteerism makes a specific contribution by generating well-being for people and their communities.”
The individual and societal benefits of volunteering are hard to quantify, in part because of the wide-reaching impact that volunteering continues to have. Cultivating a sense of purpose and community, as well as gaining valuable and life-long skills, are just a few of the benefits volunteers tend to experience.
Regarding the benefits bestowed upon communities and society at large, these include (but of course are not limited to) enhancing social welfare, promoting social inclusion, reducing loneliness, and addressing societal challenges. To bear witness to the incredible impact made possible by our volunteers is to bear witness to the power of collective action.
It is the power of this collective action that continues to inspire the work we do at Volunteering Queensland. In supporting over 300 member organisations, we are lucky enough to see the enormous and often underappreciated impact that volunteers have. Be it by delivering meals for Meals on Wheels Queensland, or volunteering with the Australian Coast Guard, volunteers play a vital role in helping our communities stay afloat.
International Volunteer Day provides all of us with an opportunity to appreciate the incredible work done by our volunteers. Our world would not be the same without their continued passion, commitment, and love.