Volunteering to the Extreme

To celebrate International Volunteer Week, the Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program (LMCLP) in conjunction with the Wimmera Leadership Program, is holding a special Volunteering to the Extreme workshop and forum at the St Arnaud Sporting Club on Sunday 17 May 2009.

The day will begin with a workshop on “Living and Thriving as a Volunteer” with Claire Fountain, Director of Sorted Business Administrative Services and an active volunteer for Heart Kids Victoria & Australia who will look at ways to achieve a healthy balance between work, family and volunteering by providing participants with practical steps and tools to help them prioritise and manage their time.

Over lunch, a forum will feature stimulating discussion with Norm Bowen (CFA), Steve Warren (Victoria State Emergency Services) and Alexandra Gartmann (Community Ambulance Officer and CERT Volunteer) sharing their thoughts on successful strategies to support volunteers and engaging in an open discussion about volunteering, particularly in the emergency services sector.

The afternoon workshop will look at “Critical Incident Response” and will be facilitated by Peter Barta, a counsellor with the Trauma Centre of Australia and will provide some practical advice on how to recognise symptoms associated with trauma and how to support fellow volunteers and people who may be affected.

According to LMCLP Graduate Coordinator Julie Slater, Volunteering to the Extreme is timely considering the recent bushfires in Victoria, and will focus on the need for committed and capable volunteers who can make a difference in an emergency/crisis situation.

“The role of volunteers in emergency situations cannot be underestimated, however it is important that volunteers do not become overloaded or overwhelmed, and that they can find a balance between their volunteering role and other areas of their lives.

“The first workshop will address the concept of balance, and the second will look at supporting volunteers who have worked in an emergency and/or crisis situation, while the lunchtime forum will discuss the rewards of volunteering with emergency service organisations,” she said.

The day will begin at 10.30 am and conclude at 4.30 pm, with the cost to attend only $25 for the forum (including a two course lunch), while the workshops are free thanks to generous support from the Hugh DT Williamson Foundation, the Central Victoria Area Consultative Committee, and the Trauma Centre of Australia.

Interested members of the community, particularly those who are volunteers or interested in becoming one, are welcome to attend the whole day or individual sessions. Registration can be made by downloading a form from www.lmclp.org.au or by contacting Julie Slater on 5498 3270.