A National Strategy to Support Inclusive
Volunteering for Recent
Migrants
Volunteering New Zealand has
launched Te Rautaki mō Whanaungatanga – A National
Strategy to Support Volunteering for Recent
Migrants.
“The strategy is a statement of commitment to inclusive, ethical, and impactful volunteering” says Katie Bruce, Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand. “It recognises the unique contributions recent migrants can make in New Zealand communities and the role meaningful volunteering can play in fostering connections with their new communities.”
This strategy was launched at Volunteering New Zealand’s celebration of National Volunteer Week 2019 at Parliament on 20 June. This event was hosted by Voluntary and Community Sector Minister Peeni Henare, in association with Volunteering New Zealand.
Report author Johann Go says, “Volunteering New Zealand and I are merely kaitiaki/guardians of the voices and lived experiences that have been entrusted to us. This strategy gives life to these voices and experiences.”
To celebrate this launch we heard from recent migrant Thuy Tran on the joy, value and importance of volunteering to her. She says, “It is so hard to come to a new place, but finding a new community really helped me to settle. When we came to New Zealand, my first question was how do we meet new people, how can we connect? The answer was volunteering.”
About the
strategy
Volunteering New
Zealand has developed the recent migrant volunteering
strategy to improve the experiences of recent migrant
volunteers and promote migrant volunteering best practice
across the sector. This strategy is informed by the
experiences of hundreds of recent migrant volunteers shared
in surveys, interviews, and during migrant volunteering
workshops held around the country as part of Volunteering
New Zealand’s broader Migrant Volunteering project.
Our vision is that: Recent migrants are able to connect to, engage with, and enrich their communities through meaningful volunteering. Recent migrants have opportunities to participate in inclusive, ethical, and impactful volunteering that is valued and supported by communities and community organisations.
Volunteering New Zealand is
an association of national volunteer-involving organisations
that have a commitment to volunteering. Their mission is to
maximise the impact of volunteering in our communities.
www.volunteeringnz.org.nz
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