Volunteering

Gain new skills, share your existing ones and meet new friends through volunteering.

Volunteering is about making a difference in your community, and a culture of volunteering is generally seen as an indicator of a healthy and connected community.

Approx. 2.3 million Victorians currently volunteer in their communities, with almost 79% of these volunteers being people aged over 65 years… so it’s never too late to make a difference.

In 2019 it was estimated that the value of volunteering in Victoria was around $58million with approximately 224 hours being donated by each and every volunteer.

Volunteering means different things to different people, and can offer you the opportunity to:

feel a sense of belonging, achievement, and connection
follow your passions and interests
share your skills, knowledge, and experience
make friendships and create professional networks
gain valuable work experience as a pathway to employment
challenge yourself to learn new skills
develop your confidence
enjoy new social experiences
make a tangible difference to and supporting the work of small charities
give back to organisations that may have helped you in the past

Volunteers At JPC

The John Pierce Centre has a strong history of Deaf community volunteerism. There are many activities and programs that simply would not happen without the help of these dedicated volunteers including our social groups, community events and specific projects.

There are approx. 14 active community volunteers helping the John Pierce Centre with its work. Over a full year these volunteers contribute a total of 1,200 hours of their time.

The reasons these community members volunteer their time at the John Pierce Centre is varied. You can learn more about what motivates some of our volunteers by reading their stories here….

“I came to JPC to connect with the Deaf community and have an opportunity to experience Auslan in its diverse forms after completing my Diploma of Auslan. Volunteering gave me an opportunity to be involved in a signing environment, in a supporting role led by native Auslan users, and being exposed to different signing styles as well as meeting many families and understanding their needs. I learned that the John Pierce Centre is a supportive welcoming environment and a space for the Deaf Community to gather and share time and stories together. JPC staff and Volunteers are so inclusive and the space is so welcoming that I look forward to volunteering again in the future. Thanks so much. I do hope to be back again someday soon.”

∼ Erin Sikiric – volunteer

"Thank you so much for letting me be a volunteer. I wanted to become a volunteer due to my dear mum passing away on Oct 27 2021. I miss her very much and I miss the signing as it was only her and myself, so I looked up all the deaf clubs that we used to go to in Jolimont. I found JPC and asked if I could volunteer. They were very friendly and supportive. There was great people who knew my mum from school and chatted to me and welcomed me in. I wanted also not lose my culture of Auslan and when I came to JPC it turned out mum used to work there, and I remembered meeting her for lunch from time to time which made easy to enjoy coming. Since coming I’ve learnt new signs and want to support elderly deaf people.”

∼ Dotty Shepherd – volunteer

Type of Roles

Administration

General office duties e.g. mailouts, data entry
property support e.g. garden maintenance
IT support
Board/committee member

Program

project specific support (e.g. participate in community consultations)
supporting existing social groups
setting up possible new groups

Marketing

events support
community fundraising
providing newsletter content
promotions (social media)

Do you want to Volunteer with JPC?

Email us at admin@jpc.org.au to discuss opportunities