Volunteering is very important in our community. You can join hundreds of local volunteers who regularly give their time and energy to help others.
Volunteer with us
Become a Ballarat Ambassador
Our Ballarat Ambassadors provide information on Ballarat to a large number of visitors each year. Their love and knowledge of the city and its rich history adds to Ballarat's reputation as a friendly, welcoming and culturally vibrant city.
Visit our Current Vacancies page to find out how to apply.
Youth Volunteer Opportunities
The City of Ballarat’s Youth Services business unit believes in the vision, voices and creativity of young people and offers an exciting and innovative range of programs for young people aged 12 -25.
These programs and initiatives are aligned to the City of Ballarat’s Youth Strategy and are designed to upskill, engage, inspire, and provide new opportunities to develop personal skills and interests for young people while creating change in the Ballarat community.
Youth Services are currently looking for dedicated, passionate and enthusiastic young people, aged 12 – 25 years to join our 2024 volunteer programs.
Youth volunteer positions are currently closed but if you would like further information email youth@ballarat.vic.gov.au
Youth Ambassadors
The Youth Ambassador Program is made up of young people who are passionate about being involved in their community and representing the views, ideas and needs of young people in the Ballarat area.
Youth Ambassadors are involved in community events, advocate for young people in the Ballarat region, inform Council and community planning in consultations, and develop a joint ‘youth led’ community impact project or campaign. Youth Ambassadors will develop skills in areas such as project management, cultural competency and media and communication, and have other unique opportunities to develop their leadership skills and community networks.
Youth Ambassador Volunteer Role Statement
If you have any questions, please contact:
Susan Larmer susanlarmer@ballarat.vic.gov.au
Phone or SMS: 0438 553 478
Young Eventsters
Young Eventsters is made up of young people who are passionate about being involved in their community and celebrating the achievements, creativity and leadership demonstrated by our youth. The Young Eventsters is in a unique position to innovate and shine a light on opportunities that promote positive outcomes for young people in Ballarat.
Young Eventsters is a youth led initiative, working on a variety of projects including the highly respected City of Ballarat Youth Awards. Other initiatives focus on celebrating and recognising key calendar events or days of significance. These may include Harmony Fest, IDAHOBIT Day, NAIDOC Week, R U OK Day, Mental Health Week and International Day of People with Disability. Participants will develop skills in areas such as project management, cultural competency, media and communication skills, and have other unique opportunities to develop their teamwork and leadership skills.
Young Eventsters Volunteer Role Statement
If you have any questions, please contact:
Chloe Thomas chloethomas@ballarat.vic.gov.au
Phone or SMS: 0409 760 209
FReeZA - SONIKA
Passionate about music & events? Dream of working in the music industry but not sure where to start? SONIKA is for you!
FReeZA is a Victorian State Government funded initiative that gives young people aged 12-25 all around the state the opportunity to lead the planning and staging of live music and cultural events for other young people. SONIKA is Ballarat’s FReeZA committee!
Become a part of SONIKA to build skills and self-confidence, create and develop professional relationships, and explore various education and employment opportunities and pathways in the music industry!
Participants are provided hands on experience and training in event management, marketing and promotion, sound and lighting production, as well as mentoring and networking opportunities.
Example events and programs Sonika have run include the youth stage at Ballarat Begonia Festival, gigs with local and interstate bands, professional music recording programs, PopCon – Ballarat’s Pop Culture Convention, and more!
Join SONIKA and start planning your dream event!
Follow freezasonika on Facebook and Instagram for updates on local all-ages events & performance and development opportunities for artists and musicians.
FReeZA Volunteer Role Statement
If you have any questions, please contact:
Lucy Timms lucytimms@ballarat.vic.gov.au
Phone or SMS: 0417 305 576
The City of Ballarat has a zero tolerance for child abuse and promotes the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children, including Aboriginal children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and children with disability. We take allegations and concerns very seriously and respond to them consistently in line with our policies and procedures.
Parent Place Volunteer Opportunity
Parent Place helps families with young children to thrive, providing useful information and community links in an inclusive and safe space.
Families can visit Parent Place to feed and change their babies, find information, participate in an activity and have a play!
It is staffed and open to the public from 9:30am-2:30pm Monday to Friday.
Families can also access various services, including Maternal and Child Health, lactation consultant services, violence and family law advice. All the services are free and everyone is welcome.
Parent Place is currently looking for volunteers to join our supportive and welcoming team.
Volunteers are an integral part of our team and play an important role in welcoming and assisting families. If you have special interests or skills (such as craft, musical instrument, or more) or just a passion for helping families, we would love to hear from you.
We welcome applications from volunteers from all walks of life.
Apply to volunteer at Parent Place
If you have any questions, please contact us at via parentplace@ballarat.vic.gov.au, phone 5320 5165 or pop into Parent Place for a chat.
Page topics
Ballarat’s streetlighting is receiving a major upgrade with 6,750 lights being replaced by energy efficient
LEDs along our smaller residential roads.
The LED technology offers superior performance and life expectancy and will deliver significant cost savings and reduced environmental impact.
Under this City of Ballarat-funded program, works are underway in residential streets across the city and will take about six months to complete.
Transitioning to a carbon neutral future
The initiative is a flagship action of the City of Ballarat’s Carbon Neutrality and 100% Renewables Action Plan and aligns with our strategic commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.
City of Ballarat Waste, Water and Energy Officer Quenton Gay says councils have a critical role to play in leading by example and taking action locally to achieve the best sustainability practices.
“We’re continuously exploring ways to improve our operations to reduce our energy use and meet community expectations,” he says.
“The new LED streetlights will significantly reduce our carbon emissions.
“The City of Ballarat is also looking at bulk buying renewable energy that will lead to further greenhouse gas emissions reductions.”
A win for the environment
City of Ballarat Design and Drainage Coordinator Peter Bate says looking for more energy efficient ways to do things to reduce our environmental footprint is a high priority.
“The new 17 watt LEDs are about 80 per cent more efficient than the old 80 watt mercury vapour lights which account for 95 per cent of the lights to be replaced,” Peter says.
“This means significant energy and cost savings.
“Replacing them also takes mercury out of the supply chain – an extra win for the environment.”
Safer roads for cyclists and drivers
Quenton says the new lights will improve compliance with Australian road safety standards and address community safety issues in line with the City of Ballarat’s strategic objectives.
“Drivers and cyclists will notice a greater evenness of light across and along streets and a reduction in lighting gaps across the city.”
Peter says the City of Ballarat’s significantly lower energy bills together with savings achieved through lower maintenance and replacement costs is a great outcome for Ballarat residents.
“The money that we save through operational efficiency can be used for future additional retrofits of street lighting to LED and other projects in the community.”
The works
The City of Ballarat will notify you when Powercor work teams are coming to your street. There will be no interruption to power supply and very limited disruption to traffic.
Works will typically take place between 8am and 4pm with works taking about five minutes per light.
Better lighting outcomes
- better uniformity of light across and along streets
- less light spilling onto neighbouring properties
- less light pollution into the atmosphere
- better colour rendering and visibility
- more reliable lighting
- less depreciation of light output over time
- brighter lights to keep our streets safer
Follow us on Facebook for the latest updates.
6,750: The number of streetlights being retrofitted with LED on our minor roads.
80%: How much more energy efficient the new 17 watt LEDs are compared to the existing bulbs.
20: The number of years of life expectancy for the LED lights compared to a four-year changing cycle for existing bulbs.
6: The number of years for a return on our investment.
$9.8 million: The estimated savings for the City of Ballarat over 20 years.
2,000: The number of tonnes we will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by each year - equivalent to lighting 3,500 homes.