![OPTIONS: The Neighbourhood Centre's Rebecca Wilson and Lifeline Central West's Astrid Taylor with TAFE NSW Bathurst's English for Speakers of a Second Language [ESOL] class. Photo: SAM BOLT](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/xry9xtRQu9u36zRV2j5976/b1b9b47d-2c98-492d-b06a-7825d7e7035a.JPG/r0_430_4608_3021_w576_h298_fmax.webp "OPTIONS: The Neighbourhood Centre's Rebecca Wilson and Lifeline Central West's Astrid Taylor with TAFE NSW Bathurst's English for Speakers of a Second Language [ESOL] class. Photo: SAM BOLT")
The Neighbourhood Centre paid a visit to TAFE NSW Bathurst's English for Speakers of a Second Language [ESOL] class last week to discuss the role of volunteering in improving community well-being.
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In celebration of National Student Volunteer Week, representatives from The Neighbourhood Centre and Lifeline Central West informed students about the numerous careers volunteering can lead to.
"Volunteering helps people engage with their local community and diversify their career prospects," The Neighbourhood Centre's communications and volunteer engagement officer Rebecca Wilson said.
"It can be a challenge for newer members of the community to make connections, and volunteering can help instill a sense of belonging."
According to The Centre for Volunteering [CFV], more than 2.1 million people volunteer their time across NSW each year, contributing 240 million hours to local communities.
In addition, the CFV found every dollar invested in volunteering returns $4.50 in benefits to the community.
Lifeline Central West centre supervisor Astrid Taylor said volunteers play a vital role in the organisation's operations.
"Our crisis support service takes over 2500 phone calls a month and without volunteers, we wouldn't be able to offer this service," Ms Taylor said.
"Mental health affects all cultures, and it's important to inform members of the community on how they can make a difference."
National Student Volunteer Week is celebrated in August each year.
