Volunteerism
When we think of volunteering, to most it means putting our hand up to referee the kids soccer game, staffing the school tuck shop or spending a day or two with the elderly. And largely we’re right at least according to research released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. According to the ABS data, 5.2 million Australians aged 18 years and over participate in voluntary work. More Australians are volunteering now than ever before and its mostly in sporting, welfare and community sectors. It also accounts for a large chunk of our economy – volunteers contribute over 713 million hours of their time a year working mostly to help out other members of their local communities. But what of those who leave their suburb, venturing across Australia and even overseas?