Victorian Arabic Social Services Assignment Help

1.    Why and How This Project Will Be Used for Volunteers?

The development and implementation of volunteer orientation programs is a critical part of effective volunteer management (Connors, 2011). The exploration of various industry dynamics with reference to volunteer participation indicates that the execution of volunteer orientation programs holds a positive influence because it allows prospective partakers to understand what the initiative entails (Brumbaugh, 2010). A successful orientation program sets the pace and tone for the project and informs novice leaders about the commitment which they must show in order to make successful contributions to the project (Yount, 2010).

The purpose of this orientation program is to enlighten prospective volunteers about the process of volunteering at Victorian Arab Social Services (VASS) which is a not-for-profit based in Australia that has a goal of serving the Arabic speaking background communities that reside in the nation. Through their range of support services in the domain of community development, culture, linguistics and advocacy, the entity helps Arabic residents integrate within the fabric of Australian society. More specifically, this orientation program has been developed to support the volunteers that shall become a part of the organization’s ‘Aged Care Services’ wing which helps senior citizens of Arab origin to lead a more active, healthy, and positive lifestyle by meeting their emotional, cultural, physical, and social needs.

The motive of this orientation program is to support incoming welfare volunteers that are going to lend their services to the program. The schedule of the orientation will be organized as such to inform participants about the current volunteer policies that are being implemented in the organization and the guidelines which they must adhere to in order to comply with these guidelines. Research has indicated that engaging in volunteering activities in person-oriented settings such as aged care facilities has a positive impact on personal happiness in comparison, while it is true that there are several stressors which may affect volunteers, overall perceptions of such voluntary participation is that it is deemed as a meaningful experience (Beasely et al., 2015). Based on this study, the primary goal of the orientation would be to encourage volunteers to stay motivated throughout their experience and realize the significant impact that their role has on senior citizens that are benefiting from aged care services.

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2.    Description of Orientation Workshop

As an organization that endeavors to support the Arabic speaking community in Australia and help them integrate in a new culture, VASS is always seeking applications from competent, passionate, and dedicated volunteers that have a desire to bring change and make a difference in the life of people. According to a research conducted by Alam and Imran (2015), refugee migrants that settle into Australia due to conflicts in their homeland often undergo a sense of isolation and social exclusion. Moreover, the prevalence of this issue is more noticeable in Arab aged care clients as they have difficulty in making friends because of socio-economic, cultural, and linguistic barriers (Al Abed, Davidson and Hickman, 2014).

3.    Goal of Orientation Workshop

The volunteer program has been designed with the aim of meeting the social and recreational needs of such aged care beneficiaries to promote wellbeing and a positive mindset by recruiting 5 volunteers that that can develop mutual companionship between themselves and senior recipients of the project through social outings, community gatherings, and home visits.

4.    Schedule for Orientation Workshop

Each of the three workshops is expected to run for a period between 9:30 am and 2:30 am with a one hour lunch break from 12:00 pm to 1:00pm.

4.1  Day 1

  • 9:30 am to 10:30 am – An introductory speech 30-minute session will be held by the chairperson of VASS to welcome the volunteers to the program and enlighten them about its objectives, achievements, and future plans. Then the Secretary of the Aged Care wing will take over and introduce the volunteers to their mentors after which a morning tea break will be offered wherein volunteers will be expected to have one-on-one interactions with their mentors and supervisors to break the ice.
  • 10:30 am to 12:00 pm – The Secretary of Aged Care wing will proceed to explain volunteers about the VASS Volunteer Coordination program which comprises of the following core elements – home visits, social outings, and community gatherings followed by a Q&A session. After the presentation, the participants will be provided with a volunteers’ manual that will reiterate every aspect of the presentation so that they can refer to it later. This is recognized as a good practice of volunteer management (Wright, 2009).
  • 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm – Break for Lunch
  • 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – Video testimonials of the beneficiaries of the program will be shown along with experiences of former volunteers to inspire the upcoming batch.
  • 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm – A beneficiary of the aged care program will be invited to speak at the orientation and share his/her association with the organization to spur a sense of commitment within the volunteers which will allow them to experience positive emotions and find their work meaningful (Brown, 2015).

4.2  Day 2

  • 9:30 am to 10:30 am – The 5 volunteers will be assigned their roles in the program and handed over the responsibility of monitoring 1) home visits 2) social outings and 3) community gatherings. The responsibilities will be finalized after having a one-on-one session with each volunteer about their strengths, weaknesses, expertise and expectations.
  • 10:30 am to 12:00 pm – The supervisors for each segment of the voluntary program will take over to explain their objectives and shed light on operational elements, for example, the cost considerations and budgets which must be kept into view when designing social outings.
  • 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm – Break for Lunch
  • 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – The session will resume after the lunch break.
  • 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm – On Day 2, a former volunteer of the aged care program will be invited to speak at the orientation and share his/her involvement with the organization to encourage and guide volunteers.

4.3  Day 3

  • 9:30 am to 11:30 am – A session on the ‘Dynamics of Interacting with Aged Care Beneficiaries’ will be held to help volunteers understand the characteristics which they must demonstrate while communicating with the beneficiaries. As noted by Jackson (2015), exercising patients while communicating with senior citizens is crucial.
  • 11:30 am to 12:00 pm – Volunteers will be handed over a sheet of paper to create a fishbone diagram to highlight the issues which they think they might experience during the program.
  • 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm – Break for Lunch
  • 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm – The fishbone diagrams will be evaluated and each volunteer will be given a chance to speak up about what they wrote and why. The volunteers will be encouraged to hold a discussion with each other and with the supervisors about how to mitigate these issues.
  • 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm – An overview of the Safety Guidelines for Volunteers designed by VASS will be given following by an ending note from the Secretary.

5.    References

Al Abed, N. A., Davidson, P. M., & Hickman, L. D. (2014). Healthcare needs of older A rab migrants: a systematic review. Journal of clinical nursing, 23(13-14), 1770-1784.

Alam, K., & Imran, S. (2015). The digital divide and social inclusion among refugee migrants: A case in regional Australia. Information Technology & People, 28(2), 344-365.

Beasley, E., Brooker, J., Warren, N., Fletcher, J., Boyle, C., Ventura, A., & Burney, S. (2015). The lived experience of volunteering in a palliative care biography service. Palliative & supportive care, 13(5), 1417-1425.

Brown, F. W. (2015). Resilience and Aging: Research and Practice.

Brumbaugh, A. M. (2010). The impact of diversity seeking and volunteer orientation on desire for alternative spring break programs. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 27(5), 474-490.

Connors, T. D. (Ed.). (2011). The volunteer management handbook: Leadership strategies for success (Vol. 235). John Wiley & Sons.

Wright, W. C. (2009). Relational leadership: A biblical model for influence and service. Carlisle: Paternoster.

Yount, W. R. (Ed.). (2008). The teaching ministry of the church. B&H Publishing Group.