YOUTH VOLUNTEER SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Volunteers. Will the minister inform us about the Youth Volunteer Scholarship Awards program 2012?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Yes, I will indeed take up his offer. The Youth Volunteer Scholarship Awards reward young South Australians who donate their time and effort to the community. Scholarships are awarded to young volunteers who have a history of community participation and who have demonstrated a personal motivation and interest in helping their community.

The Youth Volunteer Scholarship Awards are an initiative of the Office for Volunteers and are jointly funded by the Office for Volunteers and the Office for Youth. This $30,000 program offers eligible young volunteers in the 25 and under bracket up to $3,000 in financial assistance to help them pursue study options at a university, TAFE or vocational college. It was first developed in 2011. The awards provide a demonstrable form of recognition for a young person's contribution to the community.

Many volunteer groups have expressed a need to attract and recruit more young people to their volunteering programs. It goes without saying that organisations that rely heavily on volunteers need to have an appropriate plan for succession in our state with its ageing population. As our baby boomers head towards retirement age and look to wind down their volunteer work, it is crucial that organisations rejuvenate their membership base with younger volunteers to ensure sustainability and continued success in the future.

The Youth Volunteer Scholarship Awards is just one way the government is actively working to attract and recruit more young people to volunteer. Scholarships are distributed to candidates chosen from each of the major geographical areas of the state depending on the number and quality of applications received. In 2011 there were 118 applications received from right across the state, and 24 scholarships were awarded, I am advised. This year the program has been promoted through local government, MPs' electorate offices, state government departments, the print media and the Office For Volunteers' e-boards, with applications closing on 27 July.

I would like to commend the work of the Office for Volunteers and the Office for Youth in working together with this Youth Volunteer Scholarship Awards program. It is an important initiative to encourage young people to volunteer and contribute to their communities, but also to stay in the education system.