The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has launched a new guide to help environmental volunteer groups get young people involved in their work.
In a statement, the Department said its team worked with Volunteering Victoria and the Youth Affairs Council Victoria to develop two new tools, a Youth Ready Assessment and a Youth Ready Guide to help volunteer groups increase youth participation.
“These offer practical tips and suggestions to involve independent young volunteers in the teen and 20s age groups,” the Department said.
“Engaging more young people helps secure a long-term future for volunteer groups and allows experienced hands to pass on their knowledge to a new generation,” it said.
“The Assessment and Guide tools were developed with input and guidance from a youth reference group and a reference group of environmental volunteering organisations.”
The Department said environmental volunteer organisations could use the Assessment tool to check how well their projects would appeal to young people across five focus areas.
“Then use the Youth Ready Guide to learn about best practice suggestions in each category and make an action plan,” it said.
In a statement, Volunteering Victoria said one of the recommendations from the Guide was that recognition was particularly important to younger volunteers who had limited experience in other professional settings.
The Department’s six-page Assessment tool can be accessed on the Volunteering Victoria website at this PS News link and the 13-page Guide at this link.
