Action plan to boost volunteer numbers
THE Gold Coast has low volunteering rates compared to other cities, but over 67,000 residents who are giving their free time to community groups are still contributing more than $300 million to the economy each year.
A new Gold Coast City Council report challenges the reputation the Glitter Strip gained during the Commonwealth Games about being a gold medal performer in volunteering.
The research shows which suburbs have the most volunteers and why the council has begun an action plan to help charities and sports groups.
“Volunteering rates do vary across the suburbs, with the lowest volunteering rates at 11 per cent in Surfers Paradise, Pimpama and Biggera Waters, and the highest rates – 18 per cent – being in Currumbin Valley, Tallebudgera, Mudgeeraba-Bonogin and Worongary-Tallai,” the report says.
More than 67,000 residents aged over 15 years indicated they were volunteers when the 2016 Census was conducted. The rate of volunteering on the Gold Coast is 14.9 per cent, which compares to 20.4 per cent for Brisbane. The Australian average is 19 per cent. Older adults aged 40-79 years and people with higher incomes had lower volunteering rates.
“A lack of time is the most significant barrier to participation in volunteering,” the report said.
Some people complained about being turned away from groups and others felt the training was not relevant or too long, the report said.
Volunteers interviewed by the Bulletin believe other reasons include the city being a “transient sort of community” and many elderly giving up their support due to age and poor health.
Coast resident Riko Taylor, who has been working at the Community OP Shop at Southport for the past few weeks, said the experience had been a positive one.
“I really like making displays. We get people who put things in a box, it looks like waste but we display it, put it in order, people pay attention to it and buy it,” she said.
“It makes me feel good. I talk to people here, they’re very friendly.”
Volunteers had made a significant contribution to the 2018 Commonwealth
Games, providing one million volunteer hours across 11 days, the report noted.
But of the 15,000 volunteers selected, only 4500 were Coast residents. Councillors at a committee meeting on Thursday backed an action plan to build on the Games legacy of volunteering.
Mayor Tom Tate said there was always a need for more helping hands.
The council will also launch a Gold Coast volunteering network early next year to provide a forum to collaborate, discuss ideas and share information to strengthen the volunteer base.