Volunteer these school holidays

Where can you volunteer in Australia?

You're not out of the ordinary in considering volunteering work while still in education, as it's relatively common. In fact, a recent report showed that 26.5% of 15-18-year-olds in Australia (PDF) are actively engaging in a range of different volunteering roles. So, where do you find these kinds of opportunities? The good news is there are plenty to choose from if you know where to look.

You'll find volunteering opportunities at places like:

• The Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org.au/volunteer/)
• St Vincent de Paul (https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/Get_Involved/Become_a_volunteer/)
• Rotaract (https://rotaract.org.au/)
• Local nursing homes
• Veterinary clinics
• Homeless shelters
• Youth centres
• Libraries

The truth is that you can find volunteering opportunities in a variety of places, including any careers expo events you see being advertised in your local area. Of course, the work you do will be for free, but you get to benefit in a number of ways.

Can volunteering help your career?

Yes, it can, greatly. Ideally, you'll start volunteering in a sector that's associated with your intended future career, but that's not absolutely necessary. It's great to immerse yourself in areas that interest you, such as volunteering at a vet’s practice when you have ambitions to work with animals, however, it's not a deal breaker.

You can choose to spend the QLD school holidays to ignite your passion for a particular field or simply explore something completely new to broaden your horizons. It's a great way to get involved with the community and put something really meaningful on your resume.

What are the benefits of volunteering?

The benefits of volunteering during your school holidays go well beyond simply getting the satisfaction that comes from doing something nice for someone else. As we'll see below, there are some wide-ranging advantages that you'll get to enjoy.

Benefit #1 - Making Useful Connections

When volunteering for an organisation, you get the opportunity to rub shoulders with industry experts, like-minded people and even potential employers. These opportunities are worth their weight in gold, especially if you're volunteering in the industry you're going to eventually pursue.

Ever heard the phrase "it's not what you know that matters, but who you know?". While this might only be partly true, it applies, and knowing someone within an industry can open up doors that would otherwise have stayed shut. Even if that doesn't happen, you'll still get a great reference for your CV.

Benefit #2 - A Head-start On Skills Development

As you'll find out at any career expo events you might attend, employers look for particular skill sets when recruiting people. These skills include things like communication, delegation, teamwork, organisation, problem-solving and leadership. Most young people struggle to give examples of these skills.

However, when you volunteer, you get the privilege of working on developing these skills while your peers are spending their school holidays in much less productive ways. Real-world experience always looks good on a new CV, and by getting involved, you'll have some.

Benefit #3 - Building Your Professional Confidence

Another really useful benefit teenagers can get from volunteering is a boost to their confidence. Most young students have spent most of their life only attending schools online or in person. As such, joining the workforce can be quite a daunting prospect. The experience you get giving up your time in this way is critical, giving you great insight into the working world and a self-esteem boost. 

Volunteering also helps you to expand your social circle and strengthen your position in the community. Whichever way you look at it, it's a great way to spend your time that offers benefits that last a lifetime. So, if you're not considering it, you should be!

Get Your Career Off to a Great Start With Online Courses For Teens

At Wandr, we understand how daunting the professional world can seem to those approaching the end of their schooling. That's why we've created a career discovery platform that helps you to figure out what comes next. Whatever you're into, we offer a range of online courses for teens as part of a pressure-free space in which to try out different career pathways on for size.

This stage in life is often filled with pressure and anxiety, and while we’re neither an academic institution nor a teaching establishment, we are committed to helping young people get their careers off to a great start. Offering one-to-one career coaching from celebrity and real-world mentors, we strive to empower young people to find their passion at their own pace.

To find out more about us, visit www.wandr.au today or call 1300 611 404, and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist. However, you can also email us at support@wandr.au, and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we possibly can.