Volunteer Voices: "Volunteering gave me a sense of purpose and belonging" - Sobarna

I chose to volunteer with our community organisation to support the new generation of Muslims in Queenstown. I saw that there was a lack of proper education to help the community understand what it means to live in diversity. This inspired my idea to create a public event for the first ever Eid Festival in Queenstown. This idea was supported by QLDC Welcoming Communities Officer Silvia Dancose and I also engaged with Queenstown Islamic Centre. As part of this process, a highlight of organising community events during Ramadan was seeing the joy and unity among participants.

My goal with the Eid event was to raise awareness of the existence of the Muslim community to the wider community of Queenstown, where we have lived and grown now for many years. It’s not the first time that I had created a public event. When I was in Auckland, in April 2018, I organised a successful first-ever gala dinner for the Indonesian Muslim community as a public fundraiser from all Muslim communities in Aotearoa to build a place of worship in Auckland.

In this way, volunteering has deeply impacted my life in Aotearoa, giving me a sense of purpose and belonging. My goal is for the Muslim community to become socially integrated with the broader community in the Queenstown Lakes region and contribute to the welfare of all, and to work in close liaison with Government, Council, and community service providers to help the needy in the community.

For anyone new to the community, volunteering is a rewarding way to connect, learn, and contribute to our society. It weaves people together, fostering a sense of belonging and community spirit. I hope my story raises awareness of the diverse cultural contexts of volunteering and highlights how individuals can strengthen their communities through service.

Written by Sobarna for Volunteer South