The training will take place at the Lightning Ridge Bowling Club in the John Murray Room. It will run from 5pm to 9pm this evening. A light supper, tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.

The Centre for Volunteering, which is the peak body for promoting and supporting volunteering and community participation in NSW, is providing the training.

As well as new volunteers the training will also benefit managers of volunteers or staff of not-for-profit organisations who wish to become more familiar with basic volunteering issues.

The topics that will be covered by the course include: what volunteering is all about and what is a volunteer; the benefits of volunteering; the rights and responsibilities of volunteers and organisations that engage in volunteering; what a person should consider when thinking of volunteering; how to find a suitable volunteering position; national standards and how to apply to volunteer.

Ana Vastag from the Transcultural Community Council’s Migrant Information and Referral Service said although they didn’t have much notice of the training, the local volunteer organisations were glad to have it because it was being provided free of charge.

“We are trying to get as many volunteers to attend as possible. Anyone who is a volunteer or intends to become one is welcome,” she said.

Anyone interested in attending the training should contact Ms Vastag on 0428 862 738 or Jane Elliot on 9261 3600 or 0417 679 045.

The Centre for Volunteering seeks to connect people and organisations in order to enrich the community. It achieves this through referral, training, resource development, information and education services to help people get involved in their communities, and enhance the capacity and skills of not-for-profit organisations, corporations and government to become involved in the community.

The centre was initially established in 1974 as a volunteer bureau within the NSW Council on the Ageing.

It adopted its current name in 2005.