As a not-for-profit organisation, with nine permanent staff in the Australian office located in Melbourne, Lattitude would be unable to function without the assistance of an active supporter base. Lattitude Supporters come from all walks of life and include family and friends of returned volunteers, community members and professionals. We invite you to become involved and hope that you will, in turn, benefit from being an active part of the Lattitude team.
As a Lattitude Supporter you will play a vital role in enabling hundreds of young Australians to take a journey of discovery about themselves and other cultures and make a positive contribution to the global community. You will have the opportunity to engage with inspiring young people and experience the benefits of international volunteering first-hand, while becoming an active volunteer of an international not-for-profit organisation working with others who share similar interests.
The following are the ways in which you can be involved as a Lattitude Supporter:
- Information Session Speaker - Information Sessions are held around the country in May and June each year for prospective volunteers and their parents to find out more about Lattitude and our volunteering program. Lattitude staff, returned volunteers and parents of returned volunteers give short presentations at these sessions. Lattitude staff provide an overview about the organisation and program, returned volunteers speak about their experiences and parents share their perspective about Lattitude and the development they have seen in their son or daughter. Parents of prospective volunteers particularly enjoy hearing from the parents of our returned volunteers.
- Interviewer – as part of our application process, every person applying for a Lattitude placement is interviewed either face to face or over the phone. The face-to-face interviews are held in all state capitals and some regional areas after our application deadline each year, for one to two days per centre. Interviewers are grouped into small panels, comprising returned volunteers and other Supporters, and interview the local applicants at each centre. As part of the panel you will assess applicants’ skills, motivation and potential for becoming a Lattitude Volunteer. No previous interview experience is necessary and you will be fully briefed prior to interviewing. You may also be asked to help with ad hoc interviews held for later applicants from August onwards.
- Local Representative - each year approximately 150 Lattitude Volunteers arrive in Australia from the UK, Europe, Canada and South Africa to undertake placements around the country in schools, at outdoor activity camps and in environmental conservation. As part of our in-country support structure, Supporters provide assistance as Local Representatives and are a local point of contact for volunteers at placements in their area. This may involve calling local volunteers in their first week of arrival and visiting them at their placement within the first month. Ongoing advice and assistance may also be needed, with the option to organise occasional social get-togethers from time to time as well.
- Professional Adviser - as a not-for-profit organisation, we welcome professional support and advice in various areas of expertise. If you have a background in English Language Training, Youth Work, Counselling, Law, Teaching, Recruitment or any other relevant field, and you would be happy to offer your pro bono services to Lattitude if needed, please let us know.
To express your interest in becoming a Lattitude Supporter please contact:
Leah Gibson
Marketing Coordinator
(03) 9826 6266
marketing@lattitude.org.au