Volunteering is not a new tradition in Australia, in fact it's thought as an integral part of life in many communities.
National Volunteering Week is way to acknowledge all the people who give up their free time to assist others and help charities across the various sectors of society.
For this year's annual Volunteering Week, SBS Gujarati spoke to international students from India who have been getting a dose of Australian life through investing their time as volunteers.
Sports Management student at Deakin University, Nimit Desai has been assisting as a volunteer at sporting and community events ever since he arrived in his host country just over ten months ago.
"People here are always ready to help and serve their community [and] that encouraged me to do volunteering," he said.
"Apart from helping the community, it is also important for students like me who are new and have very minimal industry experience. They can get valuable exposure and networking opportunities with other people.
Nimit Desai is studying in Melbourne. Source: Nimit Desai
Many students from India who are studying in Melbourne take up volunteering to connect with the wider community and meet new people. Among them, is Parth Patel.
"I am passionate about working in events. When I came to Australia, one of my friends suggested I help out at an event. I started volunteering and learned a lot about various kinds of service provided to the participants," he told SBS Gujarati.
"I get good experience and satisfaction of serving the community as a volunteer.
"I would recommend [it] to every international student because there is no better way to connect with the community".
