National Volunteering Conference 2018 Summary
17/07/2018
The theme for National Volunteering Conference 2018 was ignite, invigorate and inspire with over 650 delegates taking part in the three-day event in Sydney. Susan Alberti AC set the scene with a keynote address that told an inspiring story of action in the face of adversity through her life journey and passions. The address certainly did ignite, invigorate and inspire conference delegates with a standing ovation from the crowd.
A full rundown on the three day event is
The morning of day two had a focus on the inextricable link between the support volunteers provide and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local and global level. Chris Jarvis from Realized Worth gave an engaging keynote introducing Impact 2030: The UN Sustainable Development Goals as a Key Strategy for Nation-Building. Later, Thursday morning an expert panel discussed how organisations can start measuring their progress, and start advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. The panel included Dr Peter Devereux of Curtin University, Paul Bird of Australian Volunteers International, Adrienne Picone of Volunteering Australia, Mara Basanovic of Volunteering Queensland and Evelyn O’Loughlin of Volunteering SA & NT.
The National Volunteering Conference continued Thursday afternoon with highlights including panel sessions focused on the Future of Volunteering and Resourcing the Sector followed by a Gala Dinner.
On the final day we heard from the Minister for Social Services, The Hon Dan Tehan MP, Shadow Minister for Charities & Not-for-profits, the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP and Shadow Assistant Minister for Families & Communities, Senator Louise Pratt.
To close the conference a celebrity panel shared their volunteering stories. The entertaining panel included former AFL player Adam Goodes, Australian actress Paula Duncan, Australian fiction author, former theatre and television actress and radio and television screenwriter Judy Nunn, actor and writer and Judy’s husband Bruce Venables, and Australian performer, writer and comedian Jean Kittson.
Volunteering WA’s very own Gilda, Tina and Robert also presented at the conference. Robert spoke on Facing the Future Online: Virtually; Tina presented Creating Remarkable Reports and Gilda discussed The Professionalisation of Volunteer Management in WA.