An ACU student doing volunteer work

Community Engagement? Maybe it is a fairly new concept to you. Before I commenced my studies as an International student at ACU, I had never heard of community engagement, nor thought much about volunteering. Community engagement has become an integral and distinctive component of a student’s education at ACU. As a matter of fact, community engagement differentiates ACU from other universities in the sense that ACU focuses a lot on contributing to the community.

In Australia, the word “community” is not limited to refer to the certain area of a suburb; the concept covers a much broader range of aspects of the society. For students, the key point of volunteering is not just about “doing something for free”, but to develop and reflect upon the values of partnership, equality, mutual respect and commitment. You will be able to put your skills into practice, build up connections, learn something new, gain work experience and refine your boundaries.

One thing I picked up here is that Australian people really admire and appreciate those who are doing volunteer work. Many of my Australian friends have been doing all sorts of volunteer jobss for quite a long time. I even know a 77-year-old gentleman who has been volunteering during the past 10 years, it is part of the culture here. Furthermore, I learnt that it would be a plus if you can add some volunteering work experience on your resume, and this concerns both local & international students.

Now, you might have the question hovering in your mind: How can I find a volunteer job? You can do the following:

• Visit Victoria’s Volunteering Portal . It is an online community and information resource for Victorian volunteering organisations and for people who wish to volunteer in Victoria. All the programs have been registered at the Victorian Government to make sure they are legitimate volunteer programs which involve organizations seeking for volunteer work rather than trying to make profits. This way it is easier for volunteers to find genuine volunteering opportunities.

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• Contact and have a talk to the IACE (Institute for Advancing Community Engagement) at your ACU campus. The university’s Institute for Advancing Community Engagement is dedicated to forging partnerships with communities in Australia and overseas, with a strong focus on working with disadvantaged people to build capacity and create new opportunities.

• If you are studying Nursing, Education, or Exercise Science at ACU, you will have access to the unit of Community Engagement. Have a discussion with your lecturer in charge to help you make the proper decision when deciding what volunteering program to go for. There are many new opportunities and programs coming out every year at ACU.

• Keep an eye on your student email, every semester there is information about all sorts of events and activities, which sometimes offer you the opportunity to contribute to communities and support the most marginalised and disadvantaged.

There will be another article coming soon, which will present some ACU students experiences of volunteering in community. This should give you a better idea about community engagement at ACU. So watch this space!

Have you ever wanted to be a volunteer?

Or have you done volunteer work before?

Do tell! Post a comment!