Home > Community Services > Volunteering > For volunteer managers > Involving volunteers from diverse cultures

Involving volunteers from diverse cultures

Queensland is a culturally and linguistically diverse society with more than 220 languages spoken and over 100 religions practised. In fact, at the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census, 17.9 per cent of the population were born overseas.

Every community has a unique cultural profile and there are benefits for organisations that recruit volunteers who reflect the community demographic.

Table of contents:

Benefits of involving volunteers from diverse cultures
Recruiting volunteers from diverse cultures
Inclusive organisational practices
Tips for communicating and overcoming language barriers:
Managing unfamiliar accents
Links
Resources

Benefits of involving volunteers from diverse cultures

Volunteers from diverse cultures can contribute to your organisation by:

servicing clients in a more culturally sensitive way through increased knowledge of specific cultures
connecting your organisation with cultural groups in the community
broadening your pool of potential volunteers
speaking more than one language
bringing new perspectives and varied life experiences
promoting mutual respect and understanding between cultures
demonstrating that your organisation recognises and respects different cultures

Involving volunteers from diverse cultures can also help volunteers increase their own understanding of Australian society, which benefits the wider community.

Recruiting volunteers from diverse cultures

Recruiting people from diverse cultural and language backgrounds can make your organisation more representative of the community you serve.

Tips for recruiting:

Research your local demographics. To view information on community profiles in Queensland, see our useful links. Your local council may also be able to assist.
Talk to your council and local migrant organisations about the local cultural community groups and ask for their assistance to build relationships with them.
Seek advice from cultural community leaders about how to recruit volunteers.
Target recruitment strategies to specific cultural groups as one size does not fit all.
Face to face communication is the most effective way of distributing information. Offer to run an information session about volunteering in your organisation and any requirements such as Working with Children Checks.
Advertise volunteer opportunities in local ethnic community newspapers or on ethnic community radio.
Cut down on paperwork as too many forms can be seen as a barrier to volunteering.
Provide extra support initially for volunteers e.g. a mentor or buddy system.
Promote what your organisation can offer volunteers e.g. opportunities for work experience, to practise English conversation or make new friends.

Inclusive organisational practices

All of your organisation's policies and procedures should be inclusive of diversity. Be sure to:

be welcoming and make the person feel comfortable as volunteering may be a big step for them
include lots of face to face communication at induction. Allow enough time to go through each aspect of internal policies and procedures. Provide written information but remember that people will have different levels of literacy.
address problems with language and cultural knowledge that might make it hard for the volunteer to do their job
respect cultural needs in the workplace
be flexible about time management as the concept of time differs between some cultures
ensure stereotyping and discrimination have no place in your workplace culture
recognise and reward volunteers in culturally acceptable and meaningful ways
offer cultural awareness training for staff and volunteers so they are sensitive to the ways different cultures express their values and beliefs through dress, customs and non-verbal communication.

Tips for communicating and overcoming language barriers:

use simple English
give instructions in a clear sequence
avoid too much indirectness e.g. 'I wonder if you would mind terribly just coming with me while I find a nice spot for us to sit and have a chat?' A more direct approach is 'Come with me please. I will find a room for us where we can talk.'
allow time for people to process information, especially concepts
avoid figurative language e.g. 'take a seat', 'hold on', 'see you later'
back up verbal instructions with a demonstration or written information if appropriate
use symbols or graphics e.g. occupational health and safety issues such as the correct way to lift
remember some people may speak well but not be able to read and vice versa
ensure understanding by asking the person to repeat the message
understand that some people are hesitant to ask too many questions, in case they are seen as being impolite. Try and confirm the volunteer's understanding by seeking verbal acknowledgment
be aware that some cultures have high power differentials operating in relationships between men and women, employer and employee, teacher and student.

Managing unfamiliar accents

Sometimes a speaker's softer final consonants and differences in vowel sounds can make them difficult to understand. When communicating:

encourage the person to talk for a while so you can pick up on key words, patterns and rhythm
explain that you are not familiar with their accent and ask if they could speak more slowly
slow your own speech and speak clearly.