XSJN Volunteer Opportunities

These agencies are chosen carefully by the XSJN Committee to ensure that they are in line with our mission and values and will be suitable for our volunteers. Our volunteers are always to be engaged in a way that is primarily relational, taking account of the full dignity of the person they seek to serve. The Network also offers opportunities for volunteers to reflect on their experience and so as to deepen their understanding of their commitment. The partner agencies and their volunteer programs include:

Jesuit Social Services: Building permaculture gardens dedicated to social & environmental justice through the Ecological Justice Hub.
St Vincent de Paul
- The Inner-City Soup Van in Kensington is currently seeking volunteers for the following times: Tuesdays, 11am - 4pm; Wednesday 8am - 11am; Thursday 7am - 10am; Fridays 3pm - 6pm.
Jesuit Social Services is currently seeking volunteers for their Homework Club on Wednesdays or Thursdays 5 - 7 pm in Flemington. Tutors assist school-aged students to improve their educational opportunities. The students being the homework tasks set by their school, and tutors assist students with questions and support the student to find answers and complete set work.
Administration Volunteers are also needed to support VET courses at various locations.
Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda offers meals in its Dining Hall service: Volunteers are needed to help in preparing and serving meals to support people attending the Dining Hall. The times for volunteer shifts are: breakfast 8 am - 10:30 am, lunch 9 am – 2 pm. Fortnightly roster.
- Sacred Heart Mission are currently full with their regular roster for the Dining Hall service.
St Mary's House of Welcome: Preparing and serving meals to support people attending the Dining Hall.
- St. Mary's House of Welcome seeks volunteers for their dining hall meal service for breakfast and lunch.
  
  Please see the availabilities below:
  Volunteer - Support Homeless People in Melbourne — St Mary's House of Welcome (smhow.org.au)
- St. Mary's House of Welcome is seeking volunteers to assist at reception
St Vincent de Paul Society: Volunteers are currently needed in preparing and serving meals on the Soup Van Program in the inner-City Soup Van, Footscray Soup Van or Dandenong Soup Van. Volunteers are especially needed daytime on weekdays. A new program has been offered to volunteers in their Melbourne Custody Centre Welfare Program to support individuals in police custody.
Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project: Offering friendship and support, at mutually convenient locations, through their Teaching English Program.
The Haven in South Yarra: Providing friendship and support to residents through their Companionship Program.
McAuley Community Services for Women: Working as a learning support volunteer to vulnerable children.
- Volunteers are needed for homework clubs, residential support and providing skills for life in West Melbourne and Footscray.
Educating First Youth Foyer in Broadmeadows: Provide mentoring to young people at risk of homelessness. Currently now recruiting new volunteers for their mentoring program, especially for obtaining their driver’s license under the L2P program.
River Nile Learning Centre in North Melbourne: Supporting disadvantaged refugee and asylum seeker women enrolled in the Centre's English Language Program. Also seeking volunteers as tutors and mentors for online and classroom tutoring, and for social support.
Wellsprings for Women in Dandenong: Providing support to programs run by the agency for vulnerable and isolated women, especially English language tutoring.
Refugee Legal: Providing legal advice to asylum seekers or administrative support to the organisation through their Migration Agents and Paralegal Support Team.
Melbourne Adult Migrant English Program in Preston: Providing English language tutoring to adults from a CALD background in their Volunteer Tutor Scheme. Currently recruiting new volunteers for their tutoring program.
The Volunteer Tutor Scheme (VTS) recruits volunteers to support refugees and migrants in learning English and navigating settlement in Australia.

Volunteers offer support beyond just learning English – often it’s also about helping someone feel connected to the community or working towards other goals such as finding employment, accessing services independently or understanding more about life in Australia. Above teaching or tutoring skills, the VTS values empathy for the settlement experience and the ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds

Time Required 1 - 2 hours a week