Volunteering
Volunteering is a great way to help your community through all stages of the disaster cycle, from preparation and getting ready, through to response and recovery. You can help in the arts, sports, schools, aged care, social support, conservation, community safety or emergency services. No matter what your skills and abilities, there is a volunteer role for you!
Emergency Volunteering
If you are interested in providing assistance during disasters, why not volunteer with one of our emergency services such as the SES, Rural Fire Service or Coast Guard? These organisations also offer opportunities to help by providing community education, administrative support and much, much more.
Organisations such as the Red Cross or St John Ambulance also provide significant opportunities to give back to the community.
You can register your interest to volunteer at times of disasters with Volunteering Queensland through its Emergency Volunteering CREW and Care Army services. This service provides an easy on-line way for you to put up your hand as willing to help in your local community. Through EV CREW you will only be called to help when volunteer support is needed in your local area. Register with Volunteering Queensland’s Emergency Volunteering CREW today.
You can view more emergency volunteer opportunities view the Queensland Government Website.
Volunteer Organisations Active in Disaster (VOAD)
The Rockhampton Region VOAD Consortium is a forum where organisations share knowledge, learnings, expertise, resources and planning throughout the disaster cycle – preparedness, response, recovery, resilience, and resilience building – to better help the local community and individuals impacted by disaster.
During a disaster event, the Local Disaster Coordination Centre may make requests for volunteers or resources to organisations that support the VOAD; in return, the organisations are provided with training opportunities to increase their disaster resilience. The VOAD Consortium also provides an important opportunity for information exchange, with community groups providing vital information regarding what is happening “on the ground” during disasters.
Are you part of a community organisation in the Rockhampton Region and able to provide services and support to the local community to prepare, respond and recover from a disaster? Then we would like to hear from you! For more information on the VOAD Consortium contact Council’s Disaster Management Unit on 4932 9000 or by email at disastermanagement@rrc.qld.gov.au.
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Community Connectors
CALD communities also often are disproportionately affected during disasters, often due to language barriers or cultural differences. The Central Queensland Multicultural Association (CQMA) helps connect diverse communities to essential information and services through their Community Connectors project. If you are a member of a CALD community in our Region and would like more information on disaster preparedness, or would be interested in volunteering to become a Connector with CQMA, contact them on 0438751974 or cqma_inc@hotmail.com.