Not enough volunteers?

Apparently our federal government is about to run a campaign trying to encourage young people to volunteer. It is being done because so many organisations which depend on volunteers are short of people willing to donate their time.

Why? I suspect there is more to this than people simply being unwilling to volunteer. I also know that some organisations simply would not exist at all without volunteers doing most of the work. Our local charity shop has one paid employee and that employee earns very little. There is more there than a simple shop. At one end there is the food van which goes out to feed the homeless. At the other end there is a storage facility where donations are also accepted. In the middle there is a school uniform shop for the local Catholic schools, the book shop and the usual clothes and "bric-a-brac".  It is also a place where welfare recipients are sent for all sorts of help. 

I don't volunteer there on a regular basis but I have sometimes had a call from someone there, "Cat I have someone here who has left their glasses at home. I haven't got time to help them. Can you come in for a few minutes." Translated that means "I have someone here who cannot read or write. They need some confidential help filling out forms and it might take an hour...or more." I go if I can and I sort out whatever I can. I have directed people towards more help - often from yet more "volunteers".  All of them are older people, often much older. There was one woman who worked there into her nineties. Quite a number are in their eighties now.

Where are the young people? I would like to say they are at work and that is perhaps true for many of them. There is more to it than that however. 

Volunteering used to be simple. Some help was needed and a call went out. People volunteered. It is no longer that simple.

You need to apply to be a volunteer. You will need at least one reference, possibly just a verbal one from someone already volunteering at the location but still a reference. You will need to have a "police check". Volunteers do not need to pay for these but they must be kept up to date. That is paperwork. Most of us have nothing to hide but it is still an intrusion on our privacy that was not needed in the past.

Then there is the "OHS training" and that must be kept up to date. As there is with one of my roles there might be a certificate of completion involving a test. Mine requires a 100% on the test. Most of the test has absolutely nothing to do with the sort of work I do in that location but it still has to be done.

In some roles there are first aid requirements and that means attending other courses and completing other requirements. This is even before you consider being a volunteer in some areas.

Of course if you want to volunteer as a fire fighter or an emergency service worker to clear debris then you need to attend (and go on attending) training sessions. Volunteer for Meals on Wheels and you may find yourself delivering the meals using your own vehicle at your own cost. This is only after the people in the kitchen have gone through rigorous training in order to prepare the meals.

There are other costs associated with volunteering. They are costs some people simply cannot afford. Time is just one thing. Transport is another. The ability to commit on a regular basis over a long period is another. 

We used to rely on "stay-at-home" mothers to run the school canteen. That was probably reasonably simple when it was a matter of pies, pasties, sausage rolls, buns and rolls or sandwiches. Now the nature of the offerings has changed and the facilities need to reach such high standards volunteers are scarce. Cubs and Brownies, Scouts and Guides, church youth groups, sports and more all need to be aware of "cultural sensitivities" and "gender issues". It is all done to an extent where volunteering is fraught with dangers and people simply will not volunteer. They will not volunteer for their own safety and because there is always the risk of abuse from parents or false accusations being made if you upset someone.

The nature of volunteering has changed and the government needs to recognise that. Are there ways to make it less onerous to actually volunteer?