With a growing trend towards more adventure and education based holidays, travel is becoming less about rest and relaxation and more about cultural, social and personal enlightenment.

Volunteer travel is on the rise

A growing number of Australians are swapping fly by night tours through off the beaten track villages for more meaningful contributions to community life.

A recent survey on Australian travel and lifestyle trends found that more than half a million Australians had embarked on a volunteer program overseas². Popular destinations included India, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea with volunteers participating in programs across wildlife conservation, volunteer teaching and community work.

A new dimension to social responsibility

Volunteer travel is an important component of the social responsibility programs of many companies. Volunteer travel programs add the cultural, educational and lifestyle experiences many individuals desire while benefiting the local communities they support and contributing to social change. For participants, these programs combine team building, leadership and communication skills with opportunities for personal growth and physical endurance.

Some volunteer programs have a single focus such as providing funding for much needed education, infrastructure or health projects, while others have wider objectives like raising social awareness on important issues. Without financial and co-ordinated corporate support it is difficult for projects like these to get off the ground.

Regardless of the project, close collaboration between the company and the charity is required to ensure mutually beneficial outcomes.

Rising to the challenge

ANZ's Corporate Charity Challenge has operated for the past two years. ANZ employees who participate use a combination of annual leave and ANZ funded volunteer leave. ANZ also provided project management and fundraising support.

ANZ's first corporate challenge raised $100,000 for the International Women's Development Agency through a bike ride through Vietnam. Last year 30 ANZ employees embarked on a trek through the Kimberleys in support of the Bidyadanga Community Library project, an Ian Thorpe Foundation for Youth initiative.

Making a real difference to a remote community

Bidyadanga is the largest remote Aboriginal community in Western Australia. With the closest library 200 kilometres away, many Bidyadanga people have never learned to read.

Clinton Byrne was among the ANZ Corporate Charity Challengers who raised $128,000 to provide books and furniture for the Bidyadanga Community Library. Growing up in Mt Isa with a large indigenous community, Clinton was eager to do something more while learning about aboriginal culture. "For me it was getting to experience their way of life, their view of the Australian land and how that's very valuable to them and the stories they had behind that."

Clinton learned a lot from his time in the Bidyadanga Community, both culturally and personally. "There was a lot of internal evaluation on how I need to extinguish certain things in my life and make room for other things in my life that will make me a better person.

"The experience taught me a lot about tolerance and acceptance and that different cultures have different beliefs. Certain bogeymen or spiritual type stories make you realise that even in your own country there is a lot of cultural diversity."

While Clinton believes we can all do more to help indigenous Australians, he says every little bit helps. "I think we did make a difference", he said. "It was reassuring to see some of the older people so amazed that there were now books and they could learn to read properly."

Clinton is determined to continue his involvement with the Bidyadanga Community and raise awareness among other staff. "Since being back in Melbourne and sharing it with our teams we have encouraged others to get involved. It spreads like wildfire through the organisation and creates a great culture."

Companies leading the way on social responsibility

Many companies are becoming more active in Corporate Social Responsibility issues through their many initiatives, including their volunteering programs. Volunteering Australia defines corporate volunteering as "a commitment by a commercial organisation to encourage staff to volunteer in the not-for-profit sector."

ANZ employees have contributed more than 150,000 volunteer hours since the company's volunteering program began in 2001. ANZ offers at least one day of paid leave to staff members who want to perform volunteer work in the community. Paid time off is the most popular form of company support for employee volunteer programs.³

Benefits all round

Corporate volunteering can be mutually beneficial for the community, volunteers and the company. At the same time, volunteer work is estimated to contribute billions of dollars to the economy each year.

Benefits of corporate volunteering to the company can include an increased visibility and profile of the company in the community, creating good will and a sense of community spirit. It can also positively impact work culture, boost staff morale and work satisfaction levels and improve staff retention. With programs extending across the individual, team and whole company levels, corporate volunteering provides meaning to employees and a sense of connection with the wider community.⁴

Useful links

For details of ANZ's Corporate Charity Challenge and other community charity programs please visit our community website.