tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1663680578112260744.post4671419257233902635..comments2024-03-13T08:18:08.922+10:30Comments on Catdownunder: A $400m donationcatdownunderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08189081688973141295noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1663680578112260744.post-1087060413221342712017-05-27T23:17:17.131+09:302017-05-27T23:17:17.131+09:30Young people who would otherwise volunteer (I met ...Young people who would otherwise volunteer (I met my husband through volunteering) have their time and energy consumed by having a Centrelink obligation to apply for 20 jobs per week or do some other 'approved activity' (usually a class on "how to write a resume" 10 times over) or they are trying to maintain part time or full time work in order to fund their tertiary education. Every tertiary student I know has at least one part time job, some have more or a full time job and the study becomes part time.<br /><br />Parents of school aged children, a segment of our community that often kept a lot of volunteer activities running, are also obliged to be either working or looking for work if they rely on welfare payments to supplement their household income. With rising rents, the 'working poor' are a reality as real wages decline.<br /><br />It is no surprise that volunteers are thin on the ground.Jodiebodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11377052537742885631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1663680578112260744.post-41570653123259114562017-05-24T10:05:03.417+09:302017-05-24T10:05:03.417+09:30I have found more friends when I am with volunteer...I have found more friends when I am with volunteers than with any other group of people. Most of the time it is because I am part of the volunteer group, sometimes it is because I have supported a group as an outsider and got to know the insiders. People who are willing to help others in any way are usually nice people to be around.<br />I cannot imagine what sort of mess government will make of jobs volunteers do, and the few times I have been in a situation close to paid staff the relationship is not usually good. There are some volunteers I haven't liked, but the paid workers seem to go out of their way to be unliked by volunteers, the general public, and the people they are supposed to help.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com