Introduction
Are you passionate about social change? Help make activism smarter and stronger by volunteering with the Commons Social Change Library. You’ll help put skills and knowledge in the hands of people working on all sorts of social and environmental issues.
As a Commons Library volunteer you will become familiar with hundreds of educational resources. You’ll deepen your knowledge about many approaches to social change including campaigning, organising, digital tools, communications and media, creative actions, working in groups, wellbeing and much more.
We especially invite participation from First Nations people, people of colour, people with lived experience seeking asylum, and people with disability.
To apply to be a Commons Library Volunteer contact us.
How Volunteers are Already Contributing
Commons volunteers have been contributing their skills and talents in a range of ways:
- Putting together ‘Start Here’ guides – Working in Groups, Diversity & Inclusion, First Nations Resources, Lobbying & Advocacy, and Coalition Building.
- Creating articles, book reviews, event reports, quote collections and resource guides on digital campaigning, transformative justice, lobbying and more – see ET Smith, Robyn Gulliver and Sophie Hartley posts on the Commons.
- Making informative social media posts and adding graphic elements to articles – like the A Beginners Guide to a Blockade Camp and Four Roles of Social Activism
- Attending events to learn, network and gather resources – such as joining the Commons librarians as conference reporters at Australian Progress and FWD +Organise.
- Crucial behind-the-scenes support to keep the library running smoothly such as tagging resources, improving Search Engine Optimisation, and fixing broken website links.
We welcome your involvement in tasks like these – and other ideas you’d like to suggest!
Big thanks to our past and current volunteers: Emily, Ailish, Georgia, Tariq, Sophie, Jan, Relle and Robyn.
I’ve always used the Commons as an activist and volunteering feels like a great way to give back. I’ve learnt so much since starting as a volunteer: working on community mapping, writing an article for the website, and working on a social media strategy, not to mention the regular training sessions Holly and the team run for volunteers. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the team. – Sophie Hartley
I greatly appreciate having found somewhere that I can use my librarian skills to support social change. Whenever I mention the Commons Library to friends who are interested in making the world a better place, they either have already heard of it and find it invaluable, or they are so excited to hear that it exists because they know how much it will assist them in their activism. – Relle Graefe
The Details
We encourage volunteers to contribute 2-5 hours per week, to be completed on times and days that suit the volunteer’s availability. Volunteering can be very flexible to accommodate other commitments and time pressures like caring, work, study, and health issues.
Options for Collaboration
We welcome ideas for shared projects with other organisations. This means if you have an existing connection to an organisation, network or community you could attend events and produce resources of benefit to that organisation/network/community with support from the Commons Library. Examples of outcomes from this kind of collaboration include: campaign case studies; interviews with campaigners; articles on social change skills and strategy shaped to your particular audience; recordings from events; and materials to support training.
The volunteer program also benefits from the collaboration between the Commons Library and Australian Progress which means Commons volunteers can attend Progress events.
Thank You to Our Donors
The Commons Library volunteer program is made possible by:
- A grant provided by the John T Reid Foundation.
- The support of philanthropic trusts and generous individuals including ACME Foundation, McKinnon Family Foundation, Rendere Trust, Community Impact Foundation, Tendashoot, Rose Gilder, Phillip Cornwell, and Judy McLennan.
- Our community of small donors including monthly givers.
Apply Now
To apply for the Commons Library Volunteer Program please submit your application through the online form.
The Commons is an equal opportunity employer. We aim to overcome barriers to access including those related to ability, education levels, language, income, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and any other oppression or systemic disadvantage.
We encourage people from around Australia to volunteer; the Commons is a digital library and volunteering will take place remotely. Different ages, experience levels and working styles are welcome. We welcome your different talents and what you can contribute.
Explore Further
Find out more about the Commons Library:
For accessibility enquiries or any further information please contact the Commons Librarians.