The pandemic and ensuing lockdowns has left many charitable organisations struggling to find volunteers … and anecdotal evidence suggests that grey nomads are among those who are now a little bit more wary of getting involved.
“There is an awful lot of angst among volunteers, particularly older volunteers,” said Volunteering Queensland CEO, Mara Basanovic. “Every time there is a new Covid scare — and the Delta variant now has created lots of anxiety — we’ve seen lots of volunteers, again, drop out.”
Ms Basanovic told the GNT that grey nomads were definitely a potential valuable asset in regional areas where demand exceeds supply and where there are diminishing volunteering rates.
“Anecdotally, we are hearing from regional areas that there has been a drop-off of this small but valuable source for volunteers,” she said.
Ms Basanovic said that grey nomads who were keen to volunteer their time while travelling should ensure they are vaccinated, self-assess to ensure they are comfortable volunteering, and that any organisations they volunteer with have Covid-safe practices and have suitable roles for them.
“When looking for, or asking about, volunteering opportunities and needs in the areas they are visiting, they should go through LGAs/ local Tourism and Information Centres / local community radio stations/ recognised formal volunteering organisations or service groups,” said Ms Basanovic. “They may also look if there are any event volunteering opportunities such as festivals, etc, or maybe look at virtual volunteering opportunities.”
You cant volunteer if you are locked up by the bloody state