Why volunteering is so important with SAMESH’s new Program Manager

New SAMESH Program Manager Michael Panella is no stranger to SAMESH given he began volunteering with the team in 2019.

From sauna outreach to event volunteering, these opportunities helped him feel more connected with our local LGBTIQA+ communities.

“I was a bit disconnected from the LGBTIQA+ community here in SA, and it was through volunteering that I was able to come into my acceptance of my sexuality as a bisexual man,” says Michael.

South Australia’s LGBTIQA+ communities can feel quite tightknit at events like those run as part of Feast Festival, and while Michael sees this as a point of strength and somewhat comforting, it can present challenges too.

“A small community like ours can sometimes feel intimidating or exclusive. So, the challenge is to connect with those that maybe feel excluded or value a greater degree of separation, so that they have access to sexual health advice that is supportive of how they have sex.”

Before starting as SAMESH’s new Program Manager, Michael worked as a high school teacher and ran his school’s Student Pride Club. This work taught him how to effectively engage with students and delivery a lesson.

He sees parallels between those experiences and the work he does with SAMESH now.

“I look at my community in front of me, and I have to figure out how to educate them about sexual health, and the services available to them. So that hasn’t changed. The way in which I do it has changed, but the same sort of motivation is there.”

In particular, he really valued his time as a SAMESH volunteer at university campuses speaking to new students – some of whom might be new to Adelaide or have recently come out and are looking for ways to connect with local LGBTIQA+ people.

It’s a great opportunity to make them aware of the services and support available, but also to find new volunteers to better connect with our diverse communities in new ways.

“Universities are a really great way to find engaged students that can energise the program and the projects we do. That university cohort is really important for us so we can reach a demographic that maybe doesn’t have the strongest foundation in sexual health,” says Michael.

Following last month’s National Volunteer Week, Michael encourages anyone considering volunteering with SAMESH or Thorne Harbour SA to get involved, even if they’re feeling a bit nervous about it.

“Through my volunteering, I was able to build the confidence to make friends with other queer individuals. I volunteered for a number of reasons, but I guess isolation was one of them, and volunteering really helped me sort of enter this community with a bit more confidence, fortitude and obviously longevity and activism because I’m still here doing this now.”

Hear more from Michael and other incredible volunteers on our health and wellbeing podcast Well Well Well here.