Inclusive Volunteering Pathways To Employment Program

Overview

The Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program helps to reduce and remove barriers to volunteering and employment for people living with disability or mental health condition/s. The Program supports participants to engage in volunteering as a pathway to employment. The Program also works with organisations to help them become more inclusive as they involve people with all abilities and from all backgrounds in their workplaces.

VolunteeringACT works closely with participants to understand their individual employment goals and support participants as they learn new skills and gain experience through volunteering.

There is no cost to participate in the Program. Former participants have developed new skills, gained confidence, experienced a reduction in social isolation and fulfilled their employment goals.

The Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program supports participants every step of the way in their volunteering journey and ensures participants find a role that is rewarding and enjoyable!

- One-on-one support for participants to identify their employment and other goals and to find volunteering opportunities that help to work towards these goals.

- Ongoing support to ensure the participant’s volunteering experience is meaningful and enjoyable.

- Access to Volunteer Mentors who can attend volunteer shifts with participants and provide support as they work towards their employment goals.

- Tailored support, resources, and training for organisations to equip them with the skills and knowledge to reduce and remove barriers to involving volunteers living with disability or mental health conditions.

- Inclusion training for organisations to improve their culture, practices and processes around inclusion.
The Program does not place participants in paid employment positions and cannot guarantee paid employment during, or at the end of, participation in the Program.

As an Inclusive Volunteer Mentor, you will be matched with one of our participants who lives with a disability or mental health conditions. You will be in a unique position to provide one-to-one assistance to them as they begin their volunteerth new people.

Become an Inclusive Organisation 

Is your organisation interested in creating a more inclusive volunteering environment?

Australia lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to integrating and attracting people living with disability into the workplace. 20% of the Australian population lives with a disability, but those that do face an unemployment rate of almost double that of their fellow Australians*.

People living with disabilities and mental health conditions can face stigma and discrimination in the workplace. Potential employers may hold misconceptions about what supports might be required and these misconceptions can contribute to an organisation’s perceived lack of capacity for inclusion. While the majority of Australian employers are open to hiring people living with disability (77%), a much lower percentage (35%) demonstrate behavioural commitment to doing so.

We provide support for organisations to understand how they can be more inclusive and to ensure their volunteering programs are accessible to people with all abilities and from all backgrounds. VolunteeringACT has worked with numerous organisations in the Canberra region to create inclusive volunteering environments.
Key to the success of the Inclusive Volunteering Program is organisations providing an appropriate level of support and assistance for their volunteers. VolunteeringACT can work with you to identify suitable volunteering roles in your organisation and can advise on any supports that may be useful. VolunteeringACT can also match you with a participant who will add value to your organisation.
- Online and face-to-face training and workshops on inclusion in the workplace
- Checklists for inclusive practices and language
- Resources on accessible workspaces and workplace health and safety
- One-on-one support about how to place the volunteer at the centre of understanding their support requirements
You can also refer participants who already interact with your organisation who may be eligible for the Program.

As an Inclusive Volunteer Mentor, you will be matched with one of our participants who lives with a disability or mental health conditions. You will be in a unique position to provide one-to-one assistance to them as they begin their volunteerth new people.

Become a Participant

What is a pathway to employment? 

Volunteering is widely recognised as a platform that allows people to build skills, create social and professional networksand contribute to their community. Through the Program, we match participants with meaningful volunteering roles that help build the skills, experience, and confidence needed to work towards employment goals.
The Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program also offers training, resources, and one-on-one support to organisations. This encourages organisations to evolve their inclusion policies and remove barriers, allowing them to effectively engage volunteers living with disabilitiesBy helping organisations break down the stigma and misconceptions around disability and mental health conditions, and embed inclusion within their practices, the Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program aims to open more volunteering and employment doors to all members of our community – resulting in everyone having equal opportunity to participate in volunteering and paid employment. 

The Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program works with participants who:
are living with disability or a mental health condition
and
are seeking employment
and
are interested in volunteering 

To self-refer to our Program please complete the Expression of Interest form by clicking the link below, or email us at inclusion@volunteeringact.org.au 

VolunteeringACT is dedicated to working with anyone who would like support to become a volunteer, so if you don’t meet the above criteria, please contact us to discuss other ways we can help you. 

Participant Testimonials

I was shy. I was focused on finding employment and I couldn’t find a job. Volunteering changed my life. Before volunteering I had limited interaction with others. Now I am able to interact with people, people from Australia and people visiting Australia. I’m learning about science; it is an interesting place to volunteer. I feel like an important person. I translate for Arabic visitors; I am part of a team. I feel like I have found my place. I feel Australian.

Program Participant, Canberra

My son’s volunteering is going well. He is happy doing his shifts. Volunteering is one of his best therapies and strategies towards job readiness. He has had a few job interviews lately and is currently awaiting 3 offers of employment in hospitality/food preparation. Keeping fingers crossed!

Parent of Program Participant, Canberra

I am delighted to inform you that I have been offered a job as an Administration Officer. It’s a permanent full-time opportunity. I will be forever grateful to you for assisting me via the Inclusive Volunteering Program. I will always be thankful to the volunteering community as well. Thank you for helping a mother to get back into the workforce after a maternity break. Thank you for being so helpful and supportive in my journey.

Program Participant, Canberra

As an Inclusive Volunteer Mentor, you will be matched with one of our participants w in a work environment, to building confidence interacting with new people.

Become a Volunteer Mentor 

As an Inclusive Volunteer Mentor, you will be matched with one of our participants who lives with a disability or mental health conditions. You will be in a unique position to provide one-to-one assistance to them as they begin their volunteering journey and work towards achieving their goals. These goals can range from picking up new skills, to gaining experience in a work environment, to building confidence interacting with new people.

To express interest in becoming a volunteer mentor, please click the link below or email inclusion@volunteeringact.org.au

Organisational Testimonials

I shared with my team my learnings from your course and we are all now working on implementing changes to how we recruit and how we work with different members of the community.

Inclusive Volunteering for Organisations Workshop Attendee

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The IVPTEP Program is supported through funding from the Australian Government and delivered in collaboration with VolunteeringACT, Volunteering Tasmania and The Centre for Volunteering New South Wales.