Lifestyle
Give happy, live happy: celebrating volunteers
ESTABLISHED in 1989, National Volunteer Week is the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia.
Running from Monday through to Sunday, May 17, the theme of National Volunteer Week 2015 is Give Happy. Live Happy.
A spokesman from Volunteering Queensland said research showed volunteers were happier as a result of their giving activities.
"It provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our community and to say thank you to the more than six million Australian volunteers," he said.
For more information visit www. volunteeringqld.org.au
Fast facts
- Volunteers contribute $200 billion to the Australian economy annually.
- The rate of volunteering by young people increased from 16% in 1995 to 27.1% in 2010.
- The number of volunteers in Australia doubled from 1995 (3.2 million) to 2010 (6.1 million).
- The average number of hours contributed by each volunteer per year has decreased from 74 hours in 1995 to 56 hours in 2010.
- Outside capital cities the volunteering rate sits at 38% versus 32% inside the city limits.
