A new online volunteer portal in Australia, hopes to bring more employment opportunities and strengthen community ties for migrants and refugees.
Thousands of newly arrived refugees and migrants rely on community organisations for essential services, including social support and employment opportunities.
It is hoped a new website will make it easier to link those organisations with the volunteers who power them.
Employment website Seek and the New South Wales government have joined forces to create an online portal to help.
NSW Minister for Volunteering Ray Williams said the idea was to more easily connect organisations with willing volunteers.
“We are opening up those opportunities for people to get online [and] have a look at ways that they can contribute to society,” Mr Williams told SBS World News.
“We know that people are healthier if they volunteer and there are more employment opportunities if they volunteer.”
From firefighting to community gardens, Volunteering Australia says 5.8 million Australians lend their time every year.
That effort generates an estimated $290 billion in economic and social good, and can have a lasting impact on the community.
Visit NSW Volunteering for more details.
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