Project Ready boosting Volunteering
Did you know that the south west has one of the highest volunteering rates in the state, and yet our volunteer organisations still worry about their sustainability? Meanwhile, many groups say they’d love to see more young people participating in their activities, but they’re not sure how to make that happen.
This year, South West Local LLEN is proud to be providing Project Ready, a 12 month program which provides students with the skills they need to enter the world of volunteer work. Incorporating VET Certificate II in Active Volunteering, Project Ready is effective in re-engaging students in their education and helping them get ready for their future worlds of work.
Students participating in Project Ready undertake a community project, design thinking theory, teamwork, career planning, communication and diversity training, workplace health and safety, work placement, industry engagement activities, field trips, enterprise & entrepreneurial skills, wellbeing development and personal effectiveness.
Our program facilitator Rob Gunstone and Structured Workplace Learning Coordinator Denise Madden, have been hard at work supporting students through the first six months of this program, and we’re delighted that the results have been positive for students participating in the program.
All students in Project Ready have already completed 20 hours of volunteer time, which means they are now moving on to a week of Structured Workplace Learning placements, a fantastic outcome for students. Students have experienced work experience with the Salvation Army, Colac Otway Shire and OCR FM, Colac’s community radio station. Each of these organisations has provided a sensitive, empowering and caring environment for students to reach their volunteer goals, as well as a diverse way to experience the world of volunteering.
We are grateful to be working with GOALS to provide this opportunity for students in the Colac and thank Trish Crilly for her exceptional support of this new program to our region. We look forward to expanding our roll-out in Corangamite, Warrnambool and Moyne in 2022.
To find out more about the program, call us on 03 5561 0047 or drop us a line at reception@swllen.org.au