Nancy volunteers to help her community

DL Teacher Nancy

This week we celebrate National Volunteer Week to acknowledge the generous contributions of those who give up their time and effort to help others.

Nancy is one of our DL teachers who finds great pleasure not only in teaching English but also in volunteering to help her community with her English skills.

Going back 30 years, Nancy remembers how difficult it was for her to settle in Australia as an adult migrant. Even though she was an English lecturer in a university in China, it was still hard to find a job here. Nancy had to go back to full-time study and after completing her Diploma in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), she landed her first job as a teacher on the AMEP program.

Twenty years later Nancy is still doing what she loves best, teaching English in the same program. Most of her students are from a Chinese background with low level English. She is passionate about helping elderly Chinese students in particular as she understands how challenging it is for them to settle in a new country. She makes learning English easy for them and takes pride in their progress.

Nancy did not go out looking for volunteer work but because of her English skills, her friendly personality and her passion to help people, volunteering seemed to find her.

It all started when Nancy joined a Tai Chi class in her community where the local council organises free classes for the increasing Chinese population in the Northern Sydney area.

Being the helpful person that she is, she was always happy to translate and interpret small messages between the organisers and the Chinese people in her classes. This led to Nancy playing a key volunteer role liaising between council staff and the Chinese community.  She uses her time and bilingual skills to help the council communicate class timetables, venues, enrolments and housekeeping instructions to the Chinese community and she translates letters and flyers.

Through these community classes Nancy not only learnt Tai Chi, enjoyed her sketching classes and made friends, but she also had the the chance to give back . She says "Volunteering makes me feel good about helping others".

Research shows that volunteers live happier and healthier lives.  No wonder the motto for National Volunteer Week is "Give Happy, Live Happy". 

• Have you ever volunteered? What did you do?
• What are the benefits of volunteering for new migrants in Australia?
• What kind of volunteer work is available and how can you find it in your area?  Check out this website: Volunteering Australia

Why not share your volunteering experience here and inspire other students!

Aguer keeps positive

My name is Aguer and I’m from South Sudan. I come from a big family who are still living in my country. I’m married to a Sudanese man who has lived in Australia for 11 years and is a Mathematics and Science teacher.  I have been here for 10 months and I am already feeling very settled and happy. My English has improved a lot since I started in Distance Learning with my teacher Lisbeth who has given me so much help and support.

I was introduced to my husband through my family and after we got married in South Sudan I joined him in Australia. We now live in a small town in Queensland called Charters Towers, which was founded in the 1870s, when gold was discovered here.

When I was very young my life was not easy. Due to war and persecution my mother and I were forced to live in a refugee camp, called Kakuma, for 7 years. It was very difficult to live in the camp in very harsh conditions.  I’m however a very positive person and I like challenges.  I feel so blessed to be here in this great country where I can start a new life.  I’m determined to improve my English in DL and by volunteering in the community and eventually get a good job.

I’m so lucky because my Home Tutor, Bruna, works at the local Information Centre so this is how I became a volunteer there 2 days a week.  It's lovely working at the Centre because all the staff members are so helpful. I assist Bruna by giving information to tourists. I love meeting new people and I enjoy talking to them. 

I love volunteering because I believe it is important not just to focus on working to earn money but to give back to the community wherever possible.  There was an article in the local newspaper about volunteering and the theme was ‘Give Happy, Live Happy’ which celebrates that there is so much more to volunteering than simply giving your time and skills to help others, it’s a core part of the community.  What goes around comes around.

As for my future plans, I want to work with children and I am going to enrol in a Certificate 3 in Early Childhood and Care. After I complete this course I want to work in a childcare centre and then maybe be a nurse. I am not sure yet, but I know that I’ll work very hard at achieving my goals. My DL teacher, Lisbeth, told me that in Australia everyone can have a fair go!

I hope that one day when I am settled here in Australia and I have a good job, I can build a small school for children in my hometown in South Sudan. I love children and I want to help them get a better education, because I think education is the key to a better future and a better life.

Thanks Aguer for sharing your wonderful story.  We wish you all the best for your future.

• What kind of challenges migrants face before and after coming to Australia?
• What helps migrants overcome their challenges?
• Why is it important to give back to the community? What could this look like for you?
• If you had the opportunity to give back to your country of origin, what would you do?

Volunteering connects Dominika to her community

Dominika, DL student

I'm from Poland and I live in a small country town in South Australia where I volunteer from time to time at the local golf club.  In Poland volunteering is not valued because it earns you no money.  But now I can see that what you do for free can be worth much more than money.  It is great to be able to help others, use your skills and learn new skills while supporting a local business in a small town.

I help with decorating the club for special events and with registrations for tournaments. Sometimes I also help in the kitchen where I exchange cooking experiences with other staff members.  Most importantly however, I get the chance to talk to people, improve my English and understand the way country people talk which is very quick and full of slang.

The biggest challenge for me is when I do registrations and I have to find people's names on the list.  Because they are club members and locals, they assume I should know their surnames.  I can usually remember the first name and the face but not the surname.  This however helps me understand their Aussie English.  For example there was this member that everyone called "Blue" but I had trouble finding his name on the list under Blue.  When I asked him for his surname it was nothing like the colour blue.  I found out later that in Australia people call you "Blue" when you have red hair!

Volunteering has made me understand the Australian culture and feel part of my community.  I enjoy helping people and I don't feel so homesick in Australia any more.

Talking about country, slang and blue Dominika is sharing this popular Aussie song by country singer John Williamson called "True Blue".

Following The National Volunteer Week we've had a number of responses from DL students with positive stories.  Thanks Dominika for sharing your experience with volunteering and this song.

• What is the meaning of "true blue" in the song?
• Are there any slang expressions that you learned from talking to other Australians?
• Is volunteering valued in your country of origin?  Why / why not?
• If you had the chance to volunteer, what work would you like to do?

Give Happy, Live happy - National Volunteer Week

This week we celebrate National Volunteer Week.  Volunteering means giving your time and working for no money, so why do we do it? Research shows that volunteers live happier and healthier lives.  We asked two of our teachers about the volunteer work they've done when they're not paid to teach.

Linda, far left

DL Teacher, Linda, volunteered to be a reading mentor and a role-model in public schools to help students develop their reading and comprehension skills. She works with one student on a weekly basis for one term through the ABCN Spark program.  She finds it rewarding to share her skills to help someone in her community and make a difference.  Linda says it is a lot of fun to see the students improve their reading levels, enjoy reading more and engage in conversations increasing their confidence and self-esteem.

Baby possums with Karen

DL Teacher, Karen, is a volunteer for rescuing and caring for injured or displaced native animals such as birds, lizards and possums through the wildlife rescue organisation, WIRES.  Her favourite are baby possums.  She enjoys bottle feeding them until they're ready to be released back into the wild.  Karen also plans to do further training to raise kangaroo joeys, koalas and wombats.  She does this volunteer work because she loves animals and finds it rewarding to save them, watch them grow and be safely free again in the wild.  She says this has also been a wonderful experience for her children.

• Have you ever volunteered?  What did you do?
• What are the benefits of volunteering for new migrants in Australia?
• What kind of volunteer work is available?
• How do you find volunteer work in your area?

Why not share your views or what you've done to volunteer here and inspire other students!