Landcare Group Growth & Volunteer Wellbeing

Landcare is rewarding, but we know that volunteering isn’t always easy. Groups can have plenty of work to do, while the number of people available to share it can vary. Volunteers move away, life gets busy, people can’t always make regular working bees, and sometimes the sheer scale of environmental restoration can feel overwhelming. This afternoon brings together two practical and supportive sessions to help Landcare volunteers build stronger, more welcoming groups while looking after themselves and each other. Session 1 - Grow your Landcare group How can you share your enthusiasm for your local natural areas and encourage more people to join in? This practical, hands-on workshop with community engagement professional and Bushcare volunteer Clementina Velasco will explore simple ways to attract, welcome and retain volunteers, and make it easier for people to get involved. You’ll learn how to: • promote your group and attract new volunteers • welcome new people and structure working bees • keep volunteers engaged over time • mix things up and create opportunities for people to contribute in different ways • share your group’s story and the difference your volunteers are making. All participants will receive a bonus three-page PDF cheat sheet with practical tips to take home. The workshop is designed especially for Landcare volunteers. Group coordinators are encouraged to attend, but all group members who would like to learn and share ideas are very welcome. The presenter Clementina Velasco is a community engagement professional with more than 20 years’ experience in engaging and retaining volunteers. She is also a Wollongong City Bushcare volunteer and has been running her own group for five years. Clementina will share practical ideas from both her professional experience and her own experience as a volunteer. Afternoon tea We’ll take a break between sessions for afternoon tea, refreshments and a chance to catch up with other Landcare volunteers. Session 2 - Volunteer wellbeing The afternoon finishes with a relaxed session exploring volunteer wellbeing and avoiding burnout. Offered through the Phase 3 Landcare Enabling Program, this session provides an opportunity to talk about the challenges and rewards of volunteering, ways to look after ourselves and each other, and how we can support wellbeing within our local communities. The presenter Jamie Rose, Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) Coordinator for the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, will lead the session. RAMHP works to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing in rural and regional communities, including the impacts of climate change, extreme weather events and other environmental and community pressures. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and informal discussion at both sessions. Come for one session or stay for both – and enjoy afternoon tea with your fellow Landcare volunteers. Schedule 2.30pm–4.30pm – Grow Your Landcare Group workshop and Q&A 4.30pm–5.00pm – Afternoon tea and mingling 5.00pm–6.00pm – Volunteer Wellbeing presentation and Q&A Please choose a ticket for both or one of the sessions.