University of Queensland lecturer John May has been elected president of one of the State's premier volunteer organisations.
Mr May, from the School of Social Work and Social Policy, will head Volunteering Queensland which represents more than 320 non-profit member groups and around 1000 associate member community groups.
Last year eight paid and 120 volunteer staff found work for more than 4000 volunteers across Queensland. Since it started in 1982, the organisation has placed around 40,000 people in such work.
Mr May, a lecturer in social policy, administration and planning, said more than 2000 people also benefited from Volunteering Queensland's training programs each year.
A survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 1995 found more than 2.6 million people volunteered that year, together contributing 434 million hours of voluntary work.
That equated to a huge amount of money if calculated at hourly wage rates, making volunteers a 'highly significant social and economic issue', Mr May said.
He said voluntary work attracted people from all sorts of backgrounds and was used increasingly as a transition phase by young people wanting to gain new skills, confidence and experience.
'The face of volunteering in Queensland is changing. While recently-retired individuals continue to provide a significant number of volunteers, more young people are also becoming involved,' he said.
'Last year nearly one-third of all referrals were under 25 years old and 65 percent were under the age of 35.'
The work was varied. While almost a quarter of volunteer hours were spent on welfare work, the area of sport, recreation and hobbies accounted for about the same amount, with 16 percent of time going to religious organisations and 14 percent to education.
Mr May is a past executive member of the management committee of the Queensland Council of Social Service and the board of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS).
In 1994-95 he chaired the national non-government sector working party convened by ACOSS to respond to the industry commission inquiry into charitable organisations in Australia.
Mr May has written extensively in the areas of policy, planning and administration, has been a social issues commentator on ABC radio and a columnist on social and cultural issues for The Courier-Mail.
For further information, contact John May (telephone 3365 2068).
