05/12/2025
"Being a volunteer is a thankless job"
If I had a dollar for every time I heard this statement, I would have changed my vocation a long time ago...
The thing is, being a volunteer is not about getting recognition or reward, but it has always been about service to community and seeing the improvement of society as a whole.
For us at SolveSquad, as we mark International Volunteer Day, we are thankful for the impact that we have been able to have on our community, especially those from diverse cultural backgrounds over the past five years:
2020: Assisting our first local business YumTum to establish a digital web presence during the onset of the pandemic (who now work with clients including Stripe, Google and Canva)
2021: Coming on as a community partner for the launch of the Australian Indian Digital Creative Festival to showcase cultural arts and creative industry professionals and pioneers partnering with the Australian South Asian Centre
2022: Gathering at hybrid engagements to advocate and create youth awareness for the Social Enterprise Alliance' Summit of Summits; the Queensland Youth Housing Coalition (QYHC)' Platform 1225; and the national conference for the Australian Council for International Development
2023: Collaborating with social impact initiatives to create impact on-the-ground with Humans For Good community potluck gatherings in multiple cities across the country (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane)
2024: Sharing our stories and journey internationally, including at IAVE's World Volunteer Conference in South Korea; obtaining a government grant and hosting our first Mental Health Conference in collaboration with Community Partners; becoming an award-winning social enterprise after being awarded the Changemaker Award during the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals Conference
2025: Seeking to empower the next generation of diverse leaders, through our collaborative workshops with the Youth Ethnic Network of the ECCQ - Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland; our training day collaboration with Canterbury College and Young Change Agents; and our recent engagement with Volunteering Australia for the International Volunteer Manager's Day campaign.
Perhaps you have yet to hear a "thank you" from those who you consider your friends or fellow volunteers, but know that one day you may meet someone who will invest back into you, and you realise it was all worth it.
Photo Credit: Joseph Kolapudi and his wife Mercy being thanked by the Governor of Queensland at the International Volunteer Day reception at Government House for his work with SolveSquad