How giving back helped Santiago find a community in a new home

Mr Suarez moved from Sydney to Wagga Wagga in NSW's Riverina, four years ago with his family and, although fitting into a new community was challenging at times, turning to volunteering at the St Vincent de Paul Society has allowed him to connect with communities he could not in Sydney.

"It's a big change from a city to a regional town, so I tried to find things to keep me busy and one of these things was volunteering," the 17-year-old said.

"I found it rewarding to see how we can improve people's [lives] that are disadvantaged.

"I wasn't aware of all the challenges that for example refugees experience in regional Australia."

Moving to a new town can be challenging for a number of reasons including finding a new community to fit into, and getting to know the town and its people.

Volunteering can provide all of that, as there are always different organisations in need of some extra hands, especially from young people in regional towns.

Volunteers in regional organisations like Vinnies can help new arrivals to get to know people in events for example while also helping a community that has welcomed them to their town.

Mr Suarez has volunteered with Vinnies in a number of events and also at the Vinnies shop which he said has helped him grow his connections and confidence in the community.

"Initially most people would think that it's boring or it's not worth their time or they're too busy but I think apart from the obvious benefit of helping other people, it just makes you learn more things that you wouldn't learn if you don't volunteer," he said.

"It helps you along later in life with resumes and uni applications, for example."

A 2026 survey by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) showed 49 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 29 are considering moving to regional areas.

More than five million Australians said they would consider making the shift, with cheaper cost of living, more affordable housing and getting back to nature the top drivers for the change.

The shift by younger people also has benefits organisations in regional areas like Wagga that need more volunteers, such as Vinnies, the SES and Orange Sky.

The Centre for Volunteering 2025 report showed more than 69 per cent of the NSW adult population volunteered and contributed more than one billion hours.

SES Southern Zone acting commander Ben Lavender said volunteers were crucial for the SES in order to respond to community needs during floods and storms, and highlighted the importance of young volunteers.

"Our organisation relies on volunteers to assist the community and serve the community and all of our volunteers are community members," Mr Lavender said.

"The younger generation are a very important cohort of our society, they're going to be our future."

However, despite the influx of volunteers, some organisations continue to struggle to maintain any regular volunteers.

Orange Sky Australia in Wagga, a not-for-profit charity that supports people experiencing homelessness or hardship through access to free laundry has recently called on the local community for more volunteers in order to keep running.

"We're really, really desperate and looking for long-term volunteers that can give us some time once a fortnight to get everything back on track," Orange Sky Australia's Deidre Tome said.

Orange Sky Australia co-founder Lucas Patchett said volunteers were the backbone of the organisation, and currently provide more than 340 shifts each week.

"Orange Sky would not be where we are today without the trust and support of everyday Aussies," Mr Patchett said.

"In order to drive this impact and keep up with demand, we need to grow our team of volunteers who are integral in fuelling our impact."

With demand for Orange Sky's services increasing by 20 per cent in the last financial year, providing more support to regional areas is a goal for the organisation.

"We know Australians are doing it really tough right now... it has never been more important to speak about the issues that face more than 122,494 Aussies," Mr Patchett said.

Young people are not only encouraged to volunteer to keep those services operating but also to develop lifelong skills.

"Not only building skills as far as education and employment or for benefiting the community but personal skill sets, like getting out and being able to talk to members of the public," Mr Lavender said.

"It really does promote a confidence that is otherwise harder to gain."

Volunteering in regional areas can offer significant benefits for both new arrivals and rural communities.

It will benefit regional Australia as there is already a demand for volunteers, specifically young ones, as areas like Wagga Wagga have a number of organisations run by older volunteers.

Volunteering also provides young arrivals several advantages, including exploring possible career paths, building confidence, socialising, and experiencing the positive feeling that comes from helping a community.