Diversity/Inclusion/Equity

I’m a lucky person.

Actually, let’s use the real word: I’m privileged! There are advantages and benefits that I enjoy for no other reason than because I am White. I’m not always aware of them – and I certainly haven’t always felt privileged. But I am.

I’m White, cis-gendered, and fully able-bodied. I know that my path, mostly because of things outside my control, has been amazingly smooth. For example, I’ve never been detained for hours at airport security just because of my skin colour. Friends of mine have.

Article reviewed: van Overbeeke, P. S.M, Koolen-Maas, S. A., Meijs, L. C.P.M., & Brudney, J. L. (2022). You shall (not) pass: Strategies for third-party gatekeepers to enhance volunteer inclusion. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 33(1), 33-45. Open access: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11266-021-00384-0

I have worked as a Leader of Volunteer Engagement in Australia for more than 20 years. In 2021, I was given the incredible opportunity to take on the role of Senior Manager of Volunteer Engagement with the Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL), a social justice organisation working alongside people experiencing disadvantage to address the fundamental causes of poverty in Australia.

Working with and through volunteer teams presents as many opportunities as it does challenges. In this Training Design, Nancy Shelford of the Canadian Cancer Society presents a Skills Mapping Workshop designed specifically to successfully empower volunteer groups to identify their strengths. This Training Design helps identify individual and group strengths, and can be used to help identify opportunities to welcome new team members’ skills to the fold.