Corporate Volunteering

Currently, Ardoch has over 3000 corporate volunteers who play an essential role in Ardoch's holistic prevention programs and community development strategies. Since 1988 Ardoch has been working with volunteers to develop and implement school-based strategies that aim to halt the processes that lead to youth homelessness, early school leaving and other forms of social inequity. Ardoch has built relationships with corporate organisations that have been interested in encouraging their staff to give back to the community.

Corporate volunteers can fulfill a number of important roles within Ardoch's partner schools including supporting literacy programs and breakfast clubs. Ultimately the corporate volunteers act as mentors and positive adult role models to children. Corporate involvement also provides the opportunity to increase the numbers of male volunteers which can have enormous impact on the lives of children without positive paternal influences - an ever-growing problem as statistics of family breakdown increase.

"By being a corporate volunteer I learnt that primary school kids are so innocent, free of prejudice yet impressionable which makes this stage of their development crucial. It is so important for them to have good role models and this may not always be the case in their home environment. It surprised me how excited they were to see a working adult male come into their school as all the teachers are female."

Ardoch develops tailored programs to suit the needs of the corporate sector. By enlisting the support of Corporate Volunteers students have the opportunity to build relationships with positive role models, schools have access to more resources and corporations would receive the opportunity to enhance staff morale and put their corporate citizenship into practice.

Ardoch Youth Foundation was awarded the prestigious 2001 Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships. Voted the winner of the 'large business' division, Ardoch was honored by the government for their innovative approach and dedication to developing good corporate citizenship practices with a large city-based law firm in Melbourne.

"As a corporate volunteer I think my time at the school served as a big reminder that there are many children right here in Melbourne that do not enjoy the simply things that many of us have taken for granted in our childhood (eg, stable home life, clean clothes, healthy diet) and how important it is to ensure that these little people are given every opportunity for success in their lives. It is just amazing to see the wonderful contribution that certain people are making in our society (eg, the brilliant work being done by the Ardoch Youth Foundation)."

For more information, please contact our Corporate and Community Relationships Manager alan.curtain@ardoch.asn.au