The Foundation works to transform the lives of young people from the age of 13 - 18. The 8-day program is held in the northern Flinders Ranges where young people trek up to 100km, experience abseiling, Indigenous culture, bushcraft and build self-confidence through challenging themselves. These young people come from all across South Australia and are typically referred to us as part of a team of 10 from one school or agency.
Once the young person completes an Exercise, they are invited to join the Next Step Program. This program opens them up to a world of opportunity and growth to transform their lives!
Operation Flinders couldn’t exist without the tireless contribution of a huge number of volunteers. From spending 8 days in the field working directly with young people to contributing to the massive logistical effort for each exercise at our Edwardstown warehouse; there are a variety of ways you could contribute your valuable time.
Volunteer roles
Our volunteers generally fall into two different categories:
Field Volunteers and Foundation Volunteers.
Field Volunteers are individuals interested in working directly with the young people on Exercise. We welcome people from all backgrounds; you don’t need a ton of experience in the outdoors or working with young people. Before taking part in an exercise, you’ll be given extensive training, both accredited and non-accredited, to ensure you are set up to deliver the best experience possible for our young people.
You will commence your Op Flinders journey as an Assistant Team Leader, learning all the intricacies of our exercises from an experienced Team Leader. From there, you can progress into the Team Leader role, and eventually even into our command team, where you would be responsible for the safe and efficient conduct of an entire Exercise.
The Field Volunteer role can be great for people who find it difficult to commit to volunteering on an ongoing basis. You can choose to do just 1 Exercise per year, a commitment of only 12 days (not including training).
Foundation Volunteers are individuals who provide logistical and administrative support to the foundation, usually at our Edwardstown HQ. Many volunteers come in at least 1 day per week to help. Typical tasks include:
Creating opportunities for young people facing challenges through adventure therapy programs that provide demanding experiences, personal development and pathways to wellbeing and life success.
