Melbourne City Mission

Become a friend to a person with a disability

Summary

• Volunteers are recruited to promote social support/ friendship within a program for people with mild to moderate disability/mental health.
• Volunteers are thoughtfully matched to an individual so together they can enjoy friendship and being a part of their community.
• 2 to 3 hours a fortnight can make a difference to someone’s life.

Melbourne City Mission’s Community Friend Program (CFP) assists adults with mild to moderate disability to find friends in the community and socialise regularly through the Community Friend Program. It is a simple way to make an everlasting impact on someone’s life and help a person who otherwise may be socially isolated.

Community friendship can take 2 forms:-

One-to-one:
You can be matched to one person who is looking for friendship and social support. This involves getting together for a few hours on a fortnightly basis to enjoy a variety of activities together. The activities and times are chosen by yourself and the participant according to what you both enjoy doing.

Monthly social groups:
If you’ve been accepted for a one-to-one friendship, you may also want to put your name down as a fill-in for our monthly social groups. Regular social groups are facilitated by a team of 2 volunteers. These groups get together once a month to enjoy a social activity such as bowling, a movie, going to the city, or just getting together for coffee and a chat.

We offer community volunteering in the following Melbourne regions
Banyule Darebin Moreland
Brimbank Yarra Maribyrnong
Wyndham Moonee Valley

*Please note that we may not have participants waiting in all of these regions.

We’re looking for role models with great social skills and the ability to focus on people’s needs to partake in our program.

In order to take part, you’ll also need to:

• be able to commit to the role for 12 months
• be able to commit 2 to 3 hours a fortnight for a one-to-one friendship match
• undergo an NDIS Worker Screening Check
• undergo a National Police Check. If you have lived outside of Australia for longer than 12 months in the past 10 years, you will need to provide Melbourne City Mission with an International Police Check.
• meet with the CFP staff for an initial interview
• maintain contact with the facilitator

We provide volunteers with ongoing support through training programs, newsletters, emails and phone calls, with face-to-face catch-ups also available.

Benefits can include:

• Continual support from CFP coordinators via phone, email and in person
• Training through programs or specific requirements
• Invitations Mid-year and end of year gatherings
• AccessEAP – volunteers are entitled to 6 free and confidential counselling sessions annually. (AccessEAP is a nationwide EAP provider that offers volunteers and their family access to free and confidential face-to-face, video conference or phone counselling sessions at a time and place of their choosing)
• Invitations to Melbourne City Mission events/Zoom sessions
• CFP Newsletters
• Being a part of a wonderfully cultured Program, full of inclusion and diversity

Interested in taking part?
If you are interested in applying to become a Community Friend Volunteer, please:

• indicate your interest by clicking the apply now button so we can send you further information
• once you’ve read the information, we can then have a phone conversation to further discuss the program and you can ask any questions you may have
• if we’re the right fit for each other, we’ll then send you the final application form

For further information, please get in touch by email cfp@mcm.org.au