12 May 2011

Volunteers set off on life-changing journeys

A group of volunteers are setting off on journeys around Australia as part of a programme that places grey nomads in remote Indigenous communities where they share their skills and knowledge with locals.

Through National Seniors Australia’s Indigenous Skills Transfer and Exchange Partnership (INSTEP), volunteers travel to remote Indigenous communities and work with local people on much needed projects.

INSTEP matches highly skilled senior volunteers with the needs of Indigenous communities to collaborate on projects that benefit the whole community such as building new facilities and working in local schools.

Currently six National Seniors’ volunteers are either already in Indigenous communities or about to head off on their second volunteering stint with INSTEP.

The volunteers will travel from their home states to places where they can make a real difference- Utopia in the Northern Territory, Hope Vale in Queensland and Exmouth in Western Australia.

As part of National Volunteer Week (NVW) from 9 to 15 May, National Seniors is encouraging older people to get involved in volunteering.

National Seniors Australia INSTEP project manager Karen Furnivall said INSTEP offered a unique opportunity for volunteers and Indigenous communities alike to share knowledge, skills and culture while working toward practical solutions at a grassroots level.

“We have placed more than 118 volunteers in Aboriginal communities around Australia where volunteers have had life-changing experiences and the communities have really benefited too,’’ she said.

“Communities get access to highly skilled volunteers who are able to work on specific projects and mentor staff and students. These projects benefit the whole community and we are very thankful for the great work our volunteers do.”

Noelene, a former nurse, and Peter Brasche, a former engineer, from the Central Coast in NSW will soon venture off to Hope Vale as INSTEP volunteers.

The couple spent time as volunteers in Mungullah, Queensland, where they developed a breakfast club for Indigenous children where they were provided breakfast every morning before school and taught about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast.

The breakfast club is still continuing in Mungullah despite the Brasche’s moving on to their next volunteering project.

In June they will travel to Hope Vale where Peter will supervise a Green Army team working on preserving cultural heritage of the area and Noelene will help out at the child day care, kindergarten and Indigenous knowledge centre.

To find out more about becoming an INSTEP volunteer, phone 1300 88 37 52 or email us.