Good Volunteer Opportunities

[lexitu]

After a fairly exhaustive search, it seems that there are very few good volunteer opportunities. Does anyone know of any good organisations/positions/etc.?

Preferably:

• Non-profit organisations
• Central and close to transport
• No vested interests
• Non-admin
• Flexible

Thanks

[gossamer]

What sort of volunteer work are you looking to do?

[lexitu]

Education/mentoring/research but not limited to that.

[gossamer]

Education/mentoring/research but not limited to that.

If you still live near me, I believe that there are a couple mentoring opportunities helping to assimilate both refugees and internationals students into our local community (I know the latter is definitely in the works, but the former is something I found in '10 when I was looking for volunteer opportunities myself, so I'll have to chase that up for you). They are possibly separate programs... the council runs them, from memory. I can look up some info for you, if you like.

[lexitu]

Education/mentoring/research but not limited to that.

If you still live near me, I believe that there are a couple mentoring opportunities helping to assimilate both refugees and internationals students into our local community (I know the latter is definitely in the works, but the former is something I found in '10 when I was looking for volunteer opportunities myself, so I'll have to chase that up for you). They are possibly separate programs... the council runs them, from memory. I can look up some info for you, if you like.

Nope don't waste your time but thanks for the thought Was it Darebin? I have seen a bunch of Banyule ones but they are actually a bit out of the way because of how transport works. I'll look up Darebin if so

[gossamer]

Education/mentoring/research but not limited to that.

If you still live near me, I believe that there are a couple mentoring opportunities helping to assimilate both refugees and internationals students into our local community (I know the latter is definitely in the works, but the former is something I found in '10 when I was looking for volunteer opportunities myself, so I'll have to chase that up for you). They are possibly separate programs... the council runs them, from memory. I can look up some info for you, if you like.

Nope don't waste your time but thanks for the thought Was it Darebin? I have seen a bunch of Banyule ones but they are actually a bit out of the way because of how transport works. I'll look up Darebin if so

Yeah, it was Darebin

Edit:

You could look into some of these:
http://www.youthmentoringvic.org.au/youth-mentoring/133/
http://www.volunteer.infoxchange.net.au/volunteer/vic.chtml

(and from that last link, there was this: http://www.cmy.net.au/Volunteer which might be what I was referring to, I can't actually remember... )

[lexitu]

There's nothing to find from Darebin.

[gossamer]

There's nothing to find from Darebin.

I edited some links into my post above

[Phy124]

Are you interested in helping the less fortunate at, say, soup kitchens?

[Inside Out]

Does anyone know any soup kitchens in the city i could pop in and help

[lexitu]

Thanks gossamer

^ Phy124 - Probably want it to be more than a soup-kitchen type job. I'd want to help and develop skills of some sort at the same time.

[Phy124]

Most of the volunteer opportunities in that field are overseas in under privileged areas. In local areas it would be quite limited.

[lexitu]

Most of the volunteer opportunities in that field are overseas in under privileged areas. In local areas it would be quite limited.

Yeah, the annoying thing is that most of those opportunities are run by for-profit companies that are cunningly deceptive by saying they are volunteer organisations.

There are some potentially okay opportunities at the links you sent gossamer

[WhoTookMyUsername]

wb interacting, helping and supervising the mentally disabled? I did this for 20 hours as community service in ashburton (just talking about the idea, not the specific location) it's challenging, skills are learnt, can be non for profit etc.

[lexitu]

wb interacting, helping and supervising the mentally disabled? I did this for 20 hours as community service in ashburton (just talking about the idea, not the specific location) it's challenging, skills are learnt, can be non for profit etc.

Yep, this definitely counts as skill-building for me.