Volunteering is critical to help charities support people in need, but it also diversifies and strengthens the skillset of volunteers, creating benefits to their employers.
As part of National Volunteer Week, May 19 to 25, we explore several companies in Western Australia that support community by providing staff with paid volunteer leave.
Chevron Australia is the proud corporate sponsor of zero2hero and provides staff with one week of paid leave to volunteer as a mentor on one of the youth mental health charity’s camp programs.
The first-hand experience teaches volunteers the impact that empathy has on young people and develops their understanding of mental health, while also forging a connection to the charitable work their employer sponsors.
Chevron Australia communities and partnership manager Ciara Griffiths said the business was committed to guiding its staff to have a positive impact on the communities in which they live and work.
“Providing volunteer opportunities during work hours with our community partners allows our workforce to participate in meaningful activities, such as mentoring at Camp Hero Chevron, a five-day mental health leadership camp for young people delivered by zero2hero,” Ms Griffiths said.
“We believe our business succeeds when our people and communities succeed.
“The camps provide employees with a valuable opportunity to contribute to the community, while the skills and experiences gained as mentors can be effectively applied in the workplace.
“This participation not only benefits the community but also enhances employee engagement.”
"We learn some techniques here that are 100 per cent adaptable for us to take on as well." Chevron Australia employee and zero2hero volunteer Dale Lang
Chevron Australia’s social investment program is based on changing community need, with the energy company focusing on involvement in events and initiatives that support the most vulnerable people in society.
There were two key reasons Chevron Australia struck a partnership with zero2hero several years ago; firstly, to invest more in mental health and suicide prevention services – an area of passion for many employees – and secondly, to support the charity to increase positive outcomes.
Chevron Australia employees Bryan Tolmie (left), Lauren Jones and Dale Lang volunteered with zero2hero in 2024.
Chevron Australia subsea operations engineer Lauren Jones, who volunteered as a mentor on zero2hero’s Camp Hero Chevron in 2024, said the experience took her out of her comfort zone, enabling her to learn many new skills.
“I’m going to go into the office after this and tell everyone what I’ve done and encourage others to come and do it,” Ms Jones said, after completing her volunteering stint.
“It just gets you out your comfort zone. I’ve learnt things about myself I didn’t think I would by signing up for this.
“Some of these experiences I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Another volunteer, Chevron Australia laboratory superintendent Dale Lang, agreed that the experience resulted in valuable learnings for the volunteers themselves as much as it did for the young camp participants.
“We learn some techniques here that are 100 per cent adaptable for us to take on as well,” Mr Lang said.
“It’s going to be much easier to have difficult conversations.”
Perth-based advisory firm Consilium Corporate has also been heavily involved with zero2hero. The company owner and managing director Ranko Matic, his wife Julie-Anne, their four children and their staff have all volunteered and fundraised for the charity.
Mr Matic participated in the cape2cape trek in 2022 to raise funds and awareness of youth mental health, while Ms Matic volunteers to help with nearly every trek and other one-off events hosted by zero2hero.
Mr Matic’s daughters have also trekked the cape2cape and volunteered as mentors on the charity’s camps several times.
Consilium Corporate managing director Ranko Matic attends zero2hero's Red Cape Ball with his wife and Consilium Corporate administrative assistant Julie-Anne Matic.
Consilium Corporate managing director Andrea Betti said the company understands that community is more than just a person’s connections at work and in their personal life.
“We see our privilege and good fortune and we have capacity to give to others that are less fortunate than us, so it makes sense that we do so,” Ms Betti said.
“We do this by leading by example, by sponsoring our employees to do the trek, by sponsoring participants at the Camps, by attending zero2hero events and also by providing volunteering leave to our employees and our executive team to participate in the cape2cape trek or volunteer at zero2hero in other ways.
“The statistics of youth suicide are devastating and zero2hero provides a tangible way in which this can be turned around.
“Providing support to this amazing organisation and seeing and hearing from the amazing young people that go through Camp Hero is inspiring.”
"We know that our business is not just about the bottom line. It is about making a positive impact for our communities and for our Consilium community." Consilium Corporate managing director Andrea Betti
Ms Betti said Consilium Corporate employees who volunteer with zero2hero come back with further developed commitment skills and newfound motivation.
“We work hard and we enjoy the fruits of our labour,” Ms Betti said.
“It makes us feel great to be able to contribute to our community in a way that really makes a difference.
“The more Consilium has to do with zero2hero and the more events we attend and treks we do, the more we see the amazing impact zero2hero has on our young people and the prouder we feel.
“We know that our business is not just about the bottom line. It is about making a positive impact for our communities and for our Consilium community.”
To find out more about how you can volunteer for one of zero2hero’s various cape2cape treks, please visit: cape2cape Trek
By Hearts and Minds
