Why Volunteer?
Join Leading Youth Forward (LYF) as a volunteer and make a lasting impact for Perth’s at-risk youth.
As a volunteer, you’ll help empower teens in years 7 to 10 through one-on-one mentoring and engaging group activities.
Make a Positive Impact:
Guide and inspire young people to reach their full potential. By volunteering you can allow Perth teens to overcome challenges, try new things and create positive memories.
Be the Mentor a Young Person Needs:
Every teen deserves a cheerleader, a positive role model, a guide and someone who truly sees them, volunteering allows you to step up to the plate.
Step Up to Shape the Future:
We all remember our teenage years – they can be tough to navigate! You can step up to be a relatable role model to help young people find their flow – and invest in our future generations to come.
Ready to Volunteer?
Complete the sign-up form below and we will be in touch!
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to our Volunteer team.
What’s In It For You?
Join a Supportive Community:
Become part of a dedicated network of volunteers with get together and networking opportunities throughout the year.
Develop Your Skills:
Enhance your personal and professional growth through meaningful experiences.
Build Lifelong Friendships:
LYF isn’t just about great times and positive memories for our young people – You’ll get to have a world of fun while making friends with other vollies also committed to making a difference.
Learn from Youth:
Gain fresh perspectives and insights from the young people you mentor.
What’s Involved?
At Leading Youth Forward, we get it — life’s a juggle. Work deadlines, family commitments, and the occasional unexpected curveball are all part of the ride.
That’s why we’ve made volunteering with LYF as easy, flexible, and rewarding as possible.
The LYF calendar kicks off with an unforgettable weekend camp, followed by four “Big Day Outs” scattered throughout the year.
All our activities are held on weekends, so you can leave your 9-to-5 untouched while diving into this volunteering experience.
Volunteer Opportunities:
1. Mentor: Be the Constant in a Teens Life
Step into a powerful, one-on-one mentorship role, guiding and supporting an at-risk teen – committing to at-least a year in the program.
You’ll be matched with a young person in our program, based on your experiences and personality, ensuring the perfect fit. This commitment runs for a year, with events from March to November, and we ask that you join for at least four out of five events—think our epic weekend camp and fun-packed Big Day Outs.
Consistency is key—your teen counts on you to show up. You’ll also pick up and drop off your teen for events and have opportunities to join small group activities with other mentors and mentees throughout the year.
Ready to be a reliable, uplifting force in someone’s life? This is your moment.
2. Freelancer Mentor: Be the Flexible Hero
Want to work directly with our teens but can’t commit to showing up to all events and need a bit more wiggle room?
Freelance Mentors are the backbone of LYF, stepping up when life throws curveballs. You’ll:
- Help run teen activities at events (we need freelancers for Big Day Outs and Camps).
- Step in as a substitute mentor if a teens usual mentor can’t make it.
- Be the ultimate utility player, ready to tackle last-minute changes and bring the vibe.
This role is perfect if your schedule changes on a dime or if you can’t commit to all the events but still want to make an impact. Freelancers are our support superhero’s —and we absolutely can’t do it without you.
3. Event Helper: Be the Behind-the-Scenes MVP
If rolling up your sleeves, getting your hands dirty and pulling off the impossible sound like your jam, this is the role for you.
Event Helpers are the magicians behind the magic, making sure every LYF event runs like clockwork. Your superpowers might include:
Helping at pre-event busy bees to prep for Camp or Big Day Outs.
Cooking and serving meals during events.
Setting up and packing down event spaces (yes, marquee masters, we see you).
Keeping things running smoothly when the unexpected happens.
This role is ideal for clipboard-wielding legends who can only commit to a few events each year but still want to make a huge impact. You’ll be the glue that holds it all together.
No matter which role speaks to you, every volunteer helps Perth’s at-risk teens feel seen, supported, and inspired.
Volunteer with LYF and make a difference that sticks.
Ready to Jump in?
If these volunteer opportunities sounds like what you’re looking for, hit the big blue button below to apply now!
Still wanting to know more about volunteering with LYF?
Keep reading on!
More Then Volunteering: A Community for You
Volunteering with Leading Youth Forward (LYF) isn’t just a commitment—it’s an opportunity to join a vibrant community of like-minded people who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of Perth’s at-risk teens.
We’re endlessly grateful for the time and energy our mentors dedicate to guiding and supporting young people. To show our appreciation and keep the good vibes flowing, LYF offers a range of volunteer-only events throughout the year.
From social events to connect and recharge as volunteers after Big Days Out (think food and drinks, lawn balls or even darts) to our annual cocktail fundraiser and end of year celebrations – all our volunteer only social events are perfect for swapping stories, bonding with fellow vollies and creating new friendships.
Information for Volunteers
Frequently Asked Questions
We ask our Volunteers to commit to the full calendar year when signing up to mentor, which includes a weekend camp and four Big Day Outs (the last one being held in November). Our Freelancers and Event Helper volunteers sign up for each event based on their availability.
All new volunteers must attend in-person training, held in February each year. This is a supportive environment, facilitated by our experienced Training & Development Management. Guidance is also provided by our Advisory Panel for training.
Apart from the LYF camp in March, we ask our Volunteers to pick-up and drop-off the Teen that they are paired with for each event. This provides additional support for the Teens Caregivers, knowing the young person in their care will be picked up and dropped safely home after each LYF event.
At LYF, you are never in it alone, including when driving with a LYF Teen. Driving buddies will be paired at the start of the year, ensuring there are always two volunteers to pick-up, drop-off and transport Teens to each event.
Our Committee take into consideration a variety of factors when carefully pairing a Teen with a Mentor. If for some reason we do not have an even ratio of Mentors to Teens, our Volunteer Portfolio will ensure this is communicated with you, as well as opportunities to Volunteer as a Freelancer or Event Helper.
Yes you can. Most new volunteers start out as a Freelancer or Event Helper to either see what it’s like or due to what their capacity permits at the time of joining LYF.
As soon as you know you have more availability, are able to commit to all BDO dates and are interested in building a regular connection with a teen, please inform the Volunteer Manager.
There’s not always available teens for mentor pairing right away but your interest in changing your volunteer status will be strongly considered for the following year.
In regards to changing from mentor to freelancer, ideally, we would prefer once you commit to mentoring, you stay as mentoring, especially after that first relationship/interaction is established. We do however understand life can change. We strongly encourage open communication with the Volunteer Manager and Vice President to make sure the teen remains the forefront of mentoring changes.
We understand that our Volunteers lead busy lives and that the availability or location of our Volunteers may change. We aim to foster a supportive environment with open communication. If your situation or availability to Volunteer has changed, please reach out to our Volunteer Manager.
Join us!
We can’t wait to have you as a part of our LYF volunteer team – apply below and we will be in touch!
