National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week (NVW) is an annual celebration of Australia’s volunteers. The theme for National Volunteer Week 2019 is “Making a world of difference”.

To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we interviewed three of our wonderful volunteers at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre to find out why they decided to volunteer with us and what they get out of it. Here’s our chat with Elizabeth, Sahar and Tom.

How long have you been volunteering at Blacktown Arts?

Elizabeth: I think it’s nearly a year.

Sahar: Since September last year [2018].

Tom: A little over a year.

What made you want to volunteer at Blacktown Arts?

Elizabeth: Because I’m interested in art, and I do some drawing and that sort of thing. I live in the area and I wanted to become involved in the Arts Centre here and give something back to the community.

Sahar: I think I really wanted to volunteer here because it’s an Arts Centre. I feel like I’m in an arty kind of environment, instead of just being in my studio on my own, doing my own art.

Tom: I like being part of the arts, and it has allowed me to connect with the community. It’s easy to become disconnected from the community in today’s world. So [volunteering] is a way to connect, and to add things to my resume.

What do you like about volunteering at Blacktown Arts?

Elizabeth: It’s really great to see the exhibitions come in and see what’s happening in the galleries. I like being immersed in this sort of art in a creative environment.

Sahar: I like meeting all the people, and feeling involved with the exhibitions happening here. I want to just help out and do something – it’s the same connection that I like to have with the environment or the community.

Tom: The people, it’s good! Seeing the community come together at exhibition openings, especially when the program is culturally specific. You get the cultural community coming together, it’s lovely.

We thank our volunteers for their dedication and enthusiasm!Photo credit
Latai Taumoepeau, Hg57. Stitching the Sea (Oceania Rising), 2018.
Photograph by Sharon Hickey.