Many people like to start their own environmental volunteer groups to improve environmental outcomes and/or bring the local community together. These people are known as convenors.
- What is a convenor?
- What is the role of a convenor?
- What is the role of a volunteer Landcare group?
- How can SACTCG support you?
What is a convenor?
When a new volunteer group forms, that group needs to be registered with the ACT Government. To do that, a group needs a convenor. As a convenor your primary responsibility is to organise the working bees in your area. This involves setting dates and guiding the direction of the group. The scope of your responsibilities is flexible and largely determined by you. While many groups have a single convenor, some opt for co-convenorship with one or more partners, and others have a leadership structure where volunteers cover different roles.
What is the role of a convenor
A convenor acts as a liaison between the government and their fellow volunteers, their role includes anything from organising regular meet-ups, or guiding a long-term ecological restoration process while collaborating with experts and scientists. The role of convenor is flexible and largely determined by the convenors themselves. Part of SACTCG's role is to assist convenors throughout these processes.
What is the role of a volunteer Landcare group?
The main activities of a volunteer group usually consist of, but is certainly not limited to, weeding and planting. SACTCG recognises that not everyone has an in-depth knowledge of environmental weeds and that learning what plants need to be targeted and how to target them can be a process. SACTCG has the expertise and one of its roles is to share these techniques with less experienced convenors and volunteers.
How can SACTCG support you?
Our role is to minimise the burden on you, so you can focus on your environmental work.
SACTCG can assist with procuring and managing funds from grants to enable volunteer activities. Additionally, SACTCG can accompany you to meetings with park rangers and government agencies, interpreting the necessary knowledge to assist with your work and advocating for you as a volunteer. We can source all approvals and act as an intermediary, ensuring you have the support you need to succeed in your role as a convenor. Find out more about the services we provide below.
What are the services that SACTCG can provide?
Southern ACT Catchment Group can help you on your journey as a Convenor, while providing a breadth of other services to help you with your work.
Financial
As a Volunteer SACTCG can provide financial and administrative services to help you achieve your goals. We take care of managing money, insurance, and office tasks, so you can focus on your work.
SACTCG can also assist you in securing funds needed to care for your areas. We work alongside you to apply for grants and other funding sources, so you don't have to worry about the financial risks and can continue the valuable work you are doing with adequate resources to do so.
Tools and facilities
SACTCG can also support you in the field by providing you with tools and materials necessary for your on-ground activities Including:
- Tools like saws, mallets, gardening gloves and trowels
- Monitoring equipment including wildlife cameras and bat monitors
SACTCG also has many other facilities that can be drawn upon including:
- Marquees, flags and tables
- Meeting rooms
- Printers
- A steam weeding machine
- Nursery facilities
Training
SACTCG can provide it's members with training and educational workshops to improve skills and knowledge.
Where funding permits, SACTCG can provide:
- Plant identification workshops
- Weed identification and control techniques
- Erosion control method workshops
- Pest control method workshops
SACTCG also facilitates knowledge sharing through connecting its wider network of volunteers in regular events and activities.
Ecological Advice
- Ecological assessments
- Flora and fauna identification skills
- Surveying techniques
- Specific areas to focus your landcare efforts
- Strategic planting advice, ie. ideal species and planting locations
Organisational
- Help new groups to get started by provide ongoing support, while connecting them with the wider volunteer network operating within Southern ACT Catchment Group.
- Manage projects, overseeing them if required to help you achieve your goals effectively.
- Assist with organising events, for your group including planting days, weeding events or other occasions to involve the community and engage the wider public.
- Assist in attracting more volunteers to your group. SACTCG as an organisation has many years experience in bringing in and retaining volunteers ensuring you have a strong team.
- Plan for the future, ensuring smooth leadership transitions, keeping your volunteer group strong and stable.
Advocacy
SACTCG strongly believes your interests as a volunteer deserves good representation to government agencies. SACTCG utilises it's position as a representative of community environmental volunteer groups to advocate for funding and resources on your behalf.
SACTCG also works to promote landcare groups through public stalls and community events drawing attention to your efforts.
SACTCG also works alongside other programs and organisations like Waterwatch, Frogwatch, UMCN and local government to amplify the impact of your work as a volunteer.