More young people are choosing to lend their time and skills to Vision Australia Radio Mildura, helping to grow the station's workforce and listenership.
Coordinator of volunteers Debra Pearce said that VAR 107.5FM Mildura's volunteers and listeners all benefit from the energy, ideas and enthusiasm that new people bring.
"It's great to see so many younger people showing an interest in volunteering," Ms Pearce said. "This generation seems very community-minded, proactive, and keen to give back. We're lucky to have lots of experienced volunteers, with young people coming up through the ranks. Our more experienced volunteers have really taken the next generation under their wing and have been very supportive with training and mentoring."
Two of the newest recruits are Jessica Cornish and Matthew Bennett, who joined shortly after moving up from Melbourne last year.
The couple dedicates a few hours a week to their volunteer roles, presenting three different news and entertainment programs.
"We both work full time and we're in a band, but we still have plenty of time that we want to use effectively and usefully," Matthew, 27, said. "Instead of wasting our time on something that's not meaningful, we want to put it towards something that helps people. It's a good feeling giving back to the community."
Jessica, 30, said the experience was also rewarding for them personally.
"Radio is a passion of ours, so we love being able to learn new skills and have fun together creating programs and keeping people updated on what's happening across the region," she said. "It's also been a great way to become part of a community. We didn't know anyone when we came to Mildura, so it was a fast-track way to meet people and network."
