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Volunteering with confidence

Volunteering at AnglicareSA’s Elizabeth East Residential Aged Care site for two days a week is about more than just supporting the residents for Mollie – it’s also developing her self-confidence.

Each week, Mollie, 19, joins other volunteers at Elizabeth East to support the residents with activities and social interaction all with a friendly smile and good conversation.

“When I finished high school and I was looking into joining the workforce, I felt like I wasn’t quite ready for it,” Mollie says.

“So, I looked into volunteering, and someone suggested I come here to Elizabeth East, and it has been the best thing as it has really improved my social skills.”

Mollie and her fellow volunteers support the team at the busy aged care site helping residents with regular activities and checking in on them to see how they are and if they want to get involved.

“I also like to ask about what they’ve been up to, anything they want to talk about really and once they’re out amongst the activities of the day I like to encourage them to join in and get involved.”

I just love how confident volunteering has made me just by talking to people and doing things by myself because they’ll say ‘OK, this is your job today, can you please go and do this’ and I’m like ‘OK’.

It’s that social interaction that inspires Mollie to continue volunteering, mixing it in with her part-time employment where she works on her own.

“It really helps me get up in the morning and get out and about talking to people because I do notice that when I’m not spending time interacting with others it can affect my social skills.

“I just love how confident volunteering has made me just by talking to people and doing things by myself because they’ll say ‘OK, this is your job today, can you please go and do this’ and I’m like ‘OK’.

“Plus, as a young person I have an opportunity here to gather so much free life advice,” she adds with a smile.

Volunteers play a vital role in the day-to-day running of a residential aged care site, and Customer Wellness Coordinator for AnglicareSA’s Elizabeth East and Dutton Court sites, Tracey Wyatt, says Mollie is no exception.

“Mollie is such a great volunteer with a gorgeous personality,” Tracey says. “Mollie will happily do any task that is assigned to her and especially enjoys doing hand pampers and painting the ladies’ nails.

“She is so valued at Elizabeth East and even though she has a part-time job out of the kindness of her heart, she continues to volunteer when she can.

“Residents have a great rapport with Mollie, and nothing is too much trouble for her.”

At AnglicareSA, we’re proud to have around 300 volunteers who give their time to support people in need. Volunteers are an integral part of our support services — their generosity and commitment enable us to deliver a broad range of services to the South Australian community.

You can Register Your Interest online by clicking here, or alternatively view our current volunteer opportunities here.

More SA jobseekers fighting for entry level jobs than interstate

Anglicare Australia is today releasing its Jobs Availability Snapshot to reveal 23 South Australians are competing for every entry-level job advertised in the state – the highest rate in mainland Australia.

The Jobs Availability Snapshot shows that for every entry-level job advertised in SA – there are 20 people with higher-level work qualifications and/or experience competing for that job vacancy. *

AnglicareSA Chief Executive Officer Grant Reubenicht said that despite a strong jobs market, disadvantaged job seekers in South Australia – including early school leavers – are not getting a chance.

“Not only is there not enough entry-level work to meet demand, there are also more overqualified people taking on entry-level jobs as a second or third job during an unprecedented cost of living crisis,” said Mr Reubenicht.

The Snapshot measures how many entry-level jobs are available for disadvantaged job seekers – people with disabilities, those who don’t have qualifications or work experience, and the long-term unemployed. It found that:

  • 23 South Australians competed for every entry-level job advertised in SA compared to 15 job seekers nationally.
  • For every entry-level job advertised in SA – three of the 23 applicants have the entry level qualifications and/or experience required for the job. The rest are over-qualified.
  • Unemployment is going down, but the number of people with barriers to work has not budged.
  • There are more than 105,000 South Australians underemployed (SA has the second highest underemployment rate under Tasmania).
  • People with barriers to employment spend an average five years and 11 months looking for work.

“We might be in the midst of a jobs boom, but South Australians who need the most help to find work – early school leavers, those with disabilities, and the long-term unemployed – are not benefitting from this labour force recovery,” said Mr Reubenicht.

“There needs to be change in not only how we support jobseekers with barriers to work, but in creating real and sustainable pathways for them to access more entry-level jobs, whether that’s through training or supported work placements,” he said.

Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers said the employment services system needed to be overhauled to help people with work barriers, especially those who have been out of work long-term.

“We need to create entry-level opportunities for people in growing industries – like aged and disability care,” said Ms Chambers.

“The Government is already reviewing the system. That’s a good start. Our hope is that they will work with us to build a system that helps people, instead of leaving them behind.”

To access the report in full visit HERE.

AnglicareSA CEO Grant Reubenicht is available for interview.

*The Jobs Availability Snapshot uses sample data for the month of June 2022 and data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics monthly Labour Force data and the Department of Social Services.