Kalamunda resident Bill Smith has been volunteering in a mentor role at Kalamunda Senior High School since 2019. Bill mentors six teenage boys through EdConnect each week, volunteers twice a week with the AI and Robotics Club and once a week with the Spectrum Group (an LGBTQI+ ally group). He is just one of over 1,100 skilled volunteers who gave up 1,534 hours to support an amazing 13,500 students through EdConnect Australia in 2022.
As part of National Volunteer Week (15 – 21 May) EdConnect Australia are helping to recognise that volunteers are Change Makers in communities around the country. The team are celebrating in style by showcasing a spectrum of volunteers and their diverse roles.
Volunteer Bill is a proud father of three, and grandfather of seven. He is qualified in social work and counselling and has extensive experience working in child protection and telephone counselling for youth counselling services and LGBTQI+ support.
A colourful character, Bill holds previous experience in cricket umpiring, background of military service, involvement in amateur theatre.
Bill talks about his passion for volunteering.
“It is widely accepted that volunteering improves mental and physical health. For me, it also provides a sense of purpose and human connection in the increasingly isolating and sometimes hostile digital environment of modern-day life,” he explains.
“The principle goal of my volunteering as a student mentor is to be a lighthouse for teen boys in the turbulent seas of adolescence. I do this by creating space for them to share their stories, by ‘walking alongside’ without seeking to change or attempting to fix them,” he said.
EdConnect Australia connect volunteers who want to make a difference, with young people in school who need extra help and guidance, be it mentoring or learning support. The EdConnect Australia volunteers are driven by the greater good, passionate about the cause, are the force behind social change and give their time and energy to make a difference.
EdConnect Australia Liasison Officer – North West Metro Sahara Scaddan explains what makes Bill such a great volunteer.
“Bill supports students in the role of mentor and to see them progress in their social awareness and personal growth, he strives to lean in with compassion and understanding” she said.
“He really is one of a kind and we are so proud to call him one of our very own change-makers,” said Sahara.
Millions of volunteers across Australia are giving their time and energy to make change in our communities. To become an EdConnect Australia volunteer and help equip young people with the life skills they need to succeed visit contact edconnect@edconnect.org.au or call 1800 668 550.