A bit about us

Chasing Change is a Suicide Prevention Network based in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula area of Victoria. Chasing Change is a volunteer organisation that continuously works to prevent suicide through the promotion of community collaboration and conversation. 

Chasing Change was founded in January 2016 by a small team of diverse yet like-minded individuals who shared the desire to make a change in their communities and do what they can to prevent the tragedy of suicide. With many of the founding members being personally impacted by suicide, Chasing Change promotes a sensitive, understanding and thoughtful approach to suicide prevention and life promotion.

Why we are open to welcoming new people to join the Chasing Change team 

Before we get to know you, we think it is important for you to understand why we are open to new people joining our team.

Our team is always growing and we love meeting new, passionate people. We can never have too many people on-board who are willing and capable of offering their help in doing something positive for their community.

Essentially, the more people we have on-board, the more knowledge, experience, skills and people power we have to put bigger and better initiatives in place.

What are we looking for

So, now that you know why we are open to  more people joining our team, we should explain what we look for in our team members.

Firstly, and most importantly, we think it is important for everyone who joins our team to be in an okay state to do so. We sometimes encounter people who have recently experienced a suicide loss or who are experiencing mental health challenges. While lived-experience is central to our work and motivation, we want to ensure that our team members are okay to be in a space which operates heavily with personal stories of loss and grief, for your own wellbeing.

Now, in saying this, we all have good and bad days. The majority of our members have been personally affected by suicide, so we completely appreciate this. We just want to make sure you feel up to it and understand the often taxing nature of the work we do.

Once you are confident you are doing the right thing by you and you are still interested in joining the team, we look at how much time you can dedicate to us.

The main reason we look at how much time you have is because it helps direct you to what role you may be interested in joining.

We have two main roles we seek volunteers for:

• Event volunteers
• Steering Committee members

Now these two roles differ in expectations and commitments.

Event Volunteer:

Our event volunteers make what we do possible. Without them, many of our events would fall flat, so we appreciate anyone who is willing to give up their time to support our work. If you are interested in helping out at events, whether that be setting up, packing up, manning our stall or, interacting with the community – this is the role for you! This role suits those who need some flexibility or who are short on time. 

So how does it work? All you need to do is apply by sending us an email at info@chasingchange.com.au. If successful, we will invite you to a welcome and induction with a member of our team and register you on our volunteer database. From there, whenever we have events coming up, we’ll get in touch p and if you are available to help, we’ll get you on board.

Steering Committee Member:

Steering Committee Members meet once a month and are the organisational force behind Chasing Change.This role requires a greater time commitment and holds greater expectations and responsibilities, including being present at monthly meetings, involvement in planning of events calendar, working groups for specific events, fundraising and attendance at our annual AGM.

This role is subject to a thorough application and approval process.

What is in it for you:

Now, it isn’t all about what you can bring to Chasing Change. It is just as much about what you will get out of being part of our team!

For those who have been personally affected by suicide, we truly understand the heartache you have experienced. Many of our members who have also been affected by suicide have found that being part of our team has given them a productive way to feel as though they are doing their part to stop the same heartache for someone else.

We want to acknowledge that every person and their experiences are different and that’s what makes our team work so well.We also want to note that personal bereavement from suicide is not a pre-requisitue to joining our team. Maybe you feel as though you can and want to give back to yourcommunities, and suicide prevention is something you are passionate about. If this sounds like you,  we are certain that being part of our team will make you feel like you are chasing a positive change in your community.

How and where to apply:

If you are interested in applying to be part of our team, or would like some more information send us an email to info@chasingchange.com.au and we will be in touch!