The South Australian Government is a great supporter of volunteering and many departments and agencies manage programs within the community that are effectively run by volunteers. These programs provide opportunities to volunteer in many worthwhile projects.
On this page you will find information about:
Arts
Community
Conservation
Emergency services
Environment
Health
Heritage
Preschools and schools
Sport and recreation
Youth
Women
Arts
State Library of South Australia - volunteers undertake a wide range of roles that help make library resources available.
Adelaide Fringe Festival - volunteers give and gain invaluable experience to assist with this world-renowned event.
Art Gallery of South Australia - volunteer positions become available in areas such as the information desk and the gallery's research library. Volunteers can also become gallery guides.
Community
Courts Administration Authority – the Volunteer Service provides a vital link between the court and its clients and maintains a high level of service to all court users.
Department for Correctional Services - volunteers provide a variety of assistance and support such as: running libraries in prisons, assisting prisoners' families, transporting visitors to prisons, helping prisoners reconnect with the community.
Find out what opportunities are currently available by emailing: DCS.VolunteerUnit@sa.gov.au
Department for Communities and Social Inclusion – volunteers work with people with a disability, those who are financially disadvantaged, vulnerable, at risk of harm or isolated.
Justice of the Peace Services - being a Justice of the Peace (JP) is a voluntary activity. The role of a JP is to act as an independent and objective witness and sign documents that people use for official or legal purposes.
Multicultural SA – through the Volunteer Migrant Information Officer Network, multilingual or bicultural volunteers provide a direct information and referral service on government and other services to their respective communities.
South Australia Police - various opportunities state wide to suit a broad range of skills and interests.
Conservation
Environmental Volunteers - visit the Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources' volunteer hub to get information on a range of environmental programs and activities.
Fishcare – volunteers help recreational fishers understand the rules and regulations that apply to them.
Friends and Volunteers Groups – there are Friends groups throughout South Australia. Most national parks have a group of friends passionate about their conservation and protection. Special interest groups also abound. They range in area of interest from butterflies to 4WD adventures; from the heritage and history of the Adelaide Gaol to walking the Heysen Trail. With so much to choose from you're bound to find something to occupy those spare hours!
Landcare - join the thousands of Australians who give time to their local Landcare group. All you need is an interest in the environment and enthusiasm for conservation.
Natural Resources Management - volunteers take part in activities such as planting trees, monitoring frog and platypus populations, weeding and cleaning waterways, regenerating wetlands, growing seedlings, revegetating native habitats for threatened species, and improving sustainable farm practices.
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Emergency services
Country Fire Service (CFS) - is a volunteer based, fire and emergency service dedicated to protecting life, property and environmental assets in regional and semi metropolitan South Australia.
Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI) – through DCSI you can register with the Volunteer Emergency Recovery Information System that matches the needs of disaster-affected people with the skills and availability of volunteers.
SA Ambulance Service – outside the metropolitan area and major regional centres SA Ambulance relies on dedicated volunteers to deliver their service. Without these volunteers, many rural areas would not have a local ambulance service.
State Emergency Service (SES) - gives immediate assistance during emergencies and disasters as well as providing community response to day to day incidents such as vehicle accidents, searches, cliff rescues, flood and storm damage situations.
Volunteer Marine Rescue – working alongside the State Emergency Services Marine Unit, volunteers assist search and rescue authorities by providing a 24-hour response to marine emergencies.
Environment
Airwatch - is a hands-on schools program, where students learn about air quality issues such as vehicle emissions, wood smoke, dust, pollen, indoor air quality and odours. Airwatch also helps schools take action to reduce their own impact on air pollution.
Department for Environment Water and Natural Resources - offers many different volunteer opportunities ranging from environmental field work to assisting with the operations of government-owned historic sites and buildings.
Friends of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide - aims to foster interest in the activities of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and raise funds to benefit the Gardens.
Frog Census - the Frog Census provides a snapshot of the distribution and abundance of frogs in South Australia. It relies on people from all over the State recording frog calls during Frog Week in September each year.
Youth Environment Council of South Australia - advises government on the environmental perspectives of young people. It includes young people from all education systems in SA and peak youth organisations.
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Health
South Australian Public Hospitals – each hospital has a range of volunteering opportunities including guide services, retail outlets, ward activities and special support programs. Metropolitan and regional hospitals are listed and should be contacted direct.
Heritage
The
Department for Environment Water and Natural Resources - offers many different volunteer opportunities ranging from environmental field work to assisting with the operations of government-owned historic sites and buildings.
The
History Trust of South Australia - offers volunteers a variety of work including cataloguing collections, maintaining research libraries, research, providing education and school holiday programs, conducting oral history interviews and assisting at exhibition openings and other special events.
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Preschools and schools
Community Mentoring Program – this program links role models drawn from members of the community, with students at risk of leaving school early.
Department of Education and Child Development (DECD) - volunteers in preschools and schools make an important contribution to the achievement and wellbeing of children and students across the State.
Sport and recreation
The Office for Recreation and Sport - provides a range of information regarding volunteers, volunteer management and getting involved as a volunteer in the active recreation and sport sector.
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Youth
The
Minister's Youth Council - provides advice from young people to the Minister for Youth. The Minister’s Youth Council ensures that young South Australians have a greater say in government decision-making processes.
The
Youth Environment Council of South Australia (YEC) - represents young people from across the State. Delegates range in age from 10 to 21 and represent every State school district, catholic education, independent schools and peak youth organisations.
Women
The Women's Information Service - provides free and confidential support to women on a range of areas including relationships, health, legal matters, housing, financial issues, work, education and violence.
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More information
On this site
The benefits of getting involved in volunteering
What to expect when volunteering
Choosing your field of interest in volunteering