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    Community Friend Program

    Volunteer out in the community in a one-on-one friendship

    Summary

    • Our program assists adults with mild to moderate disability to socialise.
    • The participants in the program that volunteers would be paired with, are people who experience physical, intellectual, psychosocial, sensory, neurodiversity, acquired brain injury, and/or mental health and are isolated and lonely looking for social connections.
    • Volunteers can provide one-on-one friendships and partake in monthly social groups.
    • 2 to 3 hours a fortnight can make a difference to someone’s life.

    Everybody deserves to experience the beauty of friendship.

    MCM assists adults with mild to moderate disability to find friends in the community and socialise regularly.

    The Community Friend Program is a simple way to make an everlasting impact on someone’s life and help a person who otherwise may be socially isolated.

    The importance of just being a friend who shares the ups and downs, a contribution from the heart makes anyone feel important

    Community Friend Program Volunteer

    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 weekly or 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  Maribyrnong  Melton
     Brimbank  Merri-bek  Moonee Valley
     Darebin  Melton  Yarra

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

    We’re looking for role models/mentors 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 minimum
    • be able to commit 2 to 3 hours a fortnight for a one-to-one friendship match
    • undergo an NDIS check (National Disability Insurance Scheme)
    • 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 MCM with an International Police Check.
    • meet with the CFP staff at our North Fitzroy office for an initial interview
    • maintain contact with the facilitator

    Please note: volunteers need to be available for an initial introduction with participant during business hours. Ongoing catch-ups can be outside business hours. 

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

    Interested in taking part?

    You can browse the current volunteer vacancies here.

    If you are interested in applying to become a Community Friend Volunteer, please:

    • complete the enquiry form so we can send you further information on the program or contact us via email: cfp@mcm.org.au or call 9453 8689.
    • 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 an application form 

    Make an enquiry

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    The Community Friend Program is committed to ensuring a safe and inclusive environment. We welcome everyone, we encourage and celebrate diversity.

    Flags: Aboriginal, Torres Strait, LGBTQIA+ and National Interpreter Symbol National Interpreter Symbol

    MCM places people at the centre of what we do

    MCM acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the waterways and lands where we work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

    We commit to ensuring everyone we work with is safe, empowered, supported and respected, especially children and young people. We support and celebrate diversity of race, culture, ability, gender, sexuality and gender identity.

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