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How conservation volunteering can enhance a sense of community and combat loneliness in today’s digital world

As our world becomes increasingly digital, opportunities to engage face-to-face with others is becoming marginalised, and many people are experiencing a sense of loneliness and isolation.

Relationships Australia’s latest Loneliness Report findings show that loneliness is increasing. The levels of loneliness experienced are so high that they are sometimes referred to as an epidemic in Australia. According to the report, 28% of respondents experience social loneliness and 19.8% experience emotional loneliness. In addition, 45.9% of young people (who are aged between 18 to 24 years) are emotionally lonely.

There are many ways to address feelings of loneliness, which often have complex causes. Conservation volunteering is one solution that provides an opportunity for people to engage with others around a common cause, and to build a sense of community and belonging.

Whether you’re a migrant who has moved to Australia, you’re living in a new city where you don’t know many people, or you experience loneliness in your daily life – volunteering with Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) is a chance to get out in nature, connect with others, and build community.

There are various ways to engage with CVA and our community of Nature Stewards. You can sign up to take part in one of our conservation volunteering events near to where you live, you can download our CVA App and join a digital community of Nature Stewards, and you can create a Nature Block in your community.

Below we explore how conservation volunteering helps create a sense of community, how it can help to combat loneliness, and how you can create a Nature Block in your community.

Conservation volunteering brings people together and unites people working towards a common goal of protecting and restoring nature.

No matter where you’re from, having a sense of belonging and a community to support you, is important.

But, a sense of community is something that needs to be cultivated. Oftentimes, we can feel lonely and disconnected if we don’t have that sense of community. During the recent Covid pandemic, many people experienced feelings of isolation and loneliness as a result of lockdowns and not being able to connect and engage with others.

Conservation volunteering provides an opportunity for people across Australia to meet other like-minded conservationists and to build a sense of community.

When you volunteer on a hands-on habitat restoration initiative or take part in a beach clean-up, you’re taking part in a group activity where you get to work cooperatively and collaboratively with others.

These immersive experiences can provide the chance to get to know others, to engage, and to feel a sense of shared purpose and belonging.

Listen to this CVA volunteer discuss how involvement in volunteering makes him feel connected to nature and other people.

How conservation volunteering can combat loneliness

A recent study, which was sponsored by CVA through a grant from the John T Reid Charitable Trusts, found that involvement in community conservation by adult migrants in Australia who were experiencing a sense of isolation, helped improve their self-esteem and feelings of happiness.

The study also found that volunteering helped migrants feel a sense of place attachment to the landscapes in which they volunteered (environmental placemaking), and provided an opportunity to build cross-cultural social connections.

Other studies have similarly found how conservation volunteering can combat feelings of loneliness. A large UK survey found that most volunteers felt less alone by volunteering and that volunteering helped them meet new people.

Given that loneliness can have negative impacts on mental health and physical health, it’s significant that conservation volunteering can help attenuate feelings of loneliness. Another study found that volunteering more frequently had increased benefits for alleviating loneliness.

This is in addition to various other benefits of volunteering, as outlined by Healthdirect Australia.

CVA App and Nature Blocks: more opportunities for community-building

In recognition of the many physical health benefits of volunteering, mental health benefits of volunteering, and other positive impacts that volunteering can bring, we launched our Nature Blocks™️ initiative, in partnership with the Bupa Foundation.

To get started creating a Nature Block in your community, you can download the CVA App which connects you to a community of Australians who are active Nature Stewards. The CVA App enables you to find nearby volunteer opportunities, and to get inspiration for your Nature Block.

You can get to know your neighbours by creating a community Nature Block, or by sharing tips and advice on how to take care of your Nature Block. This can help to foster social cohesion, a sense of belonging, and feelings of connectedness by bringing neighbours and communities together to collaboratively create and care for Nature Blocks, all while building back nature.

We can’t wait to see the impact you create while having fun and getting to know your neighbours.

Disclaimer: This website does not provide medical advice. The content on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.