Volunteers

The on-arrival needs of humanitarian entrants are considerable, and volunteers can play a significant role in helping entrants to gain the basic skills they need to adjust to their new surroundings. A warm welcome and practical assistance with unfamiliar tasks can help new arrivals to settle. While IHSS staff will provide the majority of the services, there are many ways in which volunteers can provide support for the program. A volunteer might help a humanitarian entrant by:

• Meeting them at the airport and taking them to their initial accommodation
• offering companionship and friendship
• offering assistance with unfamiliar amenities such as electrical appliances gas stoves, telephones, flush toilets, and running water
• explaining the costs and billing procedures for electricity, phone and water
• offering assistance to establish a bank account, apply for Medicare, register with Centrelink, and apply for a driver's licence
• providing help to use public places like shopping centres, libraries, councils, medical centres, and pharmacies
• offering orientation to Australian foods and cooking methods, particularly if customary staple foods are not easily available
• directing the new entrants to shops which sell familiar products
• helping parents to enroll children in school, and providing them with guidance about the Australian school system and schooling practices.
• linking entrants to relevant ethnic, community, or religious associations, and relevant places of worship
• teaching entrants to use public transport system, including reading timetables and route information and buying tickets
• explaining emergency services and how to contact them
• allaying fears and misconceptions about the role of people in positions of authority (for example, police, fire brigade, doctors, government officials, teachers, and school principals)
• helping entrants to find permanent accommodation, and explaining rental practices, including how to maintain a western-style home
• providing transport to and from the doctor and other appointments
• helping humanitarian entrants to become familiar with Australian cultural practices and social norms.

Training and support is provided to volunteers to ensure that they are well prepared and resourced to undertake the tasks they choose. For further information or to register your interest in supporting new entrants as a volunteer,

Contact:
Kerry Clough
Volunteer Coordinator IHSS
Ph: (03) 6332 2230