Creating a Community: Building and Evolving Your Volunteer Program
SESSION OVERVIEW
“Creating a Community: Building and Evolving Your Volunteer Program”, is an interactive workshop designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools needed to both start a new volunteer program, and enhance an existing one, which will have a meaningful impact.
Given the broad scope of the topic, the workshop is designed to be interactive; allowing participants to engage in discussions that target their specific needs and challenges.
Participants will have had the opportunity to provide details of what they would specifically like covered in this workshop. This way ensuring that it remains relevant, and useful.
Session Outcomes
Participants will gain insights into the core elements of starting, managing, and enhancing a volunteer program. Through the interactive approach, participants will receive customised advice,
based on their unique needs.
PRESENTER
Jessica Zammit is an incredibly passionate individual who is dedicated to helping others. For the past 9 years, she has made a positive impact volunteering for Make-A-Wish, who grant life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Throughout this volunteer journey, she has taken on various roles, including President of the Adelaide Central Branch, running events, as well as individual fundraising, demonstrating versatility and commitment to making a difference.
Jessica has recently started volunteering for The Hospital Research Foundation Group Parkinson’s, as a Support Group Facilitator.
During her 20 plus years of working in the property industry, including setting up/opening a shopping centre and managing one of Adelaide’s retail icons. Jessica gained extensive knowledge and expertise in working with, managing, and mentoring staff, and ensuring optimal retailer satisfaction.
Being diagnosed with Early On-Set Parkinson’s, changed her life forever. She uses her personal journey to inspire and motivate others facing similar challenges, to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams. This encouraged Jessica to make a career change, that would allow her to have a more direct positive impact on people’s lives. Hence her transition to Volunteer Program Coordinator, which was a brand new role, at USASA (UniSA Student Association). This experience brought together both her love of volunteering, and her varied skill set.
Jessica has since retired, due to her health being her number one priority. However, behind the scenes in her personal life, she is developing a website, blog, and a community group, Life ReParked. She is working towards this being live prior to SENCON. She very simply wants to help, support and provide a space where people can connect and grow through their journey’s. In addition to the volunteering, and the behind-the-scenes project, she has also started presenting on her lived experience.
The Parkinson’s diagnosis, the career change, the behind-the-scenes projects she is working on, all allow her to fulfil her personal passion for helping others and provides her with a sense of purpose.
Jessica believes that everyone has the power to make a difference and encompasses this belief in everything she does. She is committed to personal growth and development; and overcomes challenges with grace and determination. Jessica strives to help and inspire others however she can.
