Did you know that Townsville has more than one thousand community organisations and groups providing anyone with a hobby or a cause an opportunity to find a group of like-minded people?
This staggering number of volunteer groups range from sports clubs; arts and culture associations; environmental interests; animal welfare; education, physical and mental health groups; disability and aged care support; to neighborhood or social groups.
Whether from the grass roots or part of a national network, these organisations rely heavily on volunteers to function and deliver their services.
Volunteering North Queensland is supporting the groups to learn new skills offering up to 30 free workshops this year, starting with a three-hour Grant Writing and Acquittal workshop on Thursday 18 February.
The 2021 VNQ Community Training Initiative is open to all Townsville community organisations and is made possible thanks to a Townsville City Council Community Organisations grant of $45,000.
The grant will allow VNQ to hire professionals to facilitate the workshops that will be repeated over a few weeks. They will be held at different locations around Townsville and different times to accommodate people’s availability.
Manager Marie-Claude Brown says “VNQ’s vision is for a community rich in volunteering and community participation.
“We surveyed community groups and they told us they wanted current skills to ensure their sustainability and viability. Skills like marketing, financial literacy, good governance, photography, and how to attract volunteers of all ages.”
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said Council was proud to support Volunteering North Queensland’s vision and initiative with the grant.
“Volunteers are the heart of our community. They keep it functioning and provide a crucial support network for residents,” Cr Hill said.
“Providing funding through our Community Organisations Grants is one way we can provide support to our volunteers that will benefit both the organisations they volunteer with and the wider community.
“This is such a fantastic initiative from Volunteering North Queensland, and I’m proud we can play a role in bringing it to life.”
“Almost all community groups rely on grants to fund their operations, projects or activities” says Marie-Claude. “The first session booked out in four days and a second session on 25 February is also filling fast.”
Look for the rolling calendar of free workshops on the Volunteering North Queensland website, https://www.vnq.org.au/training/, and VNQ’s Facebook page. Or call Cayley at VNQ on 4725 5990 for more information.
