NSW Multicultural Volunteering Report 2022

The Centre for Volunteering, in partnership with the Department of Communities and Justice and Multicultural NSW, have produced the inaugural New South Wales Multicultural Volunteering Report.

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group of volunteers at Fairfield community nursery

About the Multicultural Volunteering Report

This report provides valuable context, from which the motivations, barriers and impacts of volunteering practices within multicultural communities can be measured and recognised.

This in-depth analysis was undertaken by the Institute of Project Management which surveyed more than 830 representatives who identify as multicultural.

The report is divided into two parts. The first part gives voice via focus groups to a group of sector representatives who identify as multicultural.

Drawing on the focus group learnings, the second part reports on the findings of an online survey which took a sample of 835 responses from a broad cross-section of NSW residents on their volunteering experiences, with specific regard to multicultural intersections.

The survey was available in a variety of languages including Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Persian (Farsi), Nepali, Punjabi and Italian.

The report observes that for volunteers from multicultural backgrounds, acts of giving are culturally embedded and develop deep community connections and support systems. For multicultural volunteers, these support systems create a sense of belonging and social engagement which extends far beyond the immediate multicultural community.