10 Volunteering Ideas For A Memorable Gap Year

Thinking about taking a gap year? Why not, right? It’s the perfect chance to try something new and learn about yourself along the way. There are plenty of ways to spend a gap year, but if you're keen to do something meaningful (and avoid bed-rotting for 9 hours a day), check out these 10 volunteering ideas to make your gap year unforgettable: 

Get wild at an animal shelter 

Love animals? Volunteer at an animal shelter where you’ll have the chance to get up close with some of the cutest cats and dogs. You’ll help care for and train animals that have been rescued or orphaned to give them the love they deserve. 

Hit the beach 

Wish you could spend every day at the beach? Well, turns out you can (without feeling lazy for it either). Spend your gap year working on beach conservation projects and you ‘ll be out in the sun, cleaning up gorgeous coastlines, protecting sea turtle nests, and preserving the natural beauty of Australian beaches. 

Build a better home (and maybe a garden) 

If your dream is to renovate homes, why wait? Get hands-on and pick up some skills that would put Scotty Cam to shame by building homes for people in need. There are organisations and projects like Habitat for Humanity all across Australia taking on volunteers every day! 

Get your hands dirty 

Escape to the country and spend some time volunteering on a farm. You'll learn about organic farming, support eco-friendly agriculture and as a bonus, have the chance to live in beautiful rural areas. 

Become someone’s big supporter 

If you’re looking for a super rewarding year, take up a mentoring role. You could work with youth, refugees or people on the journey to better mental health. No matter what, this will be a year you’ll remember forever. 

Dive into some marine conservation 

For ocean stans, head to the coast and work on marine projects like coral reef monitoring, shark conservation, and underwater ecosystem restoration. 

Chinwag with the oldies 

Bored of friends your own age? There’ll be no boring moments volunteering in aged care.  You’ll hear some unbelievable stories, get amongst the in-jokes and who knows, maybe they’ll even let you host bingo. 

Park up with some bushland conservation 

If you love the great outdoors, spend the year with a National Park conservation crew and work on trail maintenance, tree planting, or wildlife monitoring in some of the most beautiful landscapes you’ll ever see. 

Face the music 

If you love music and road trips, why not combine the two and go on a music festival crawl, volunteering around Australia? You’ll get free tickets, see new places and watch some of your favourite musicians, all the while helping out the local music industry! 

Be a cli-mate 

The planet is doomed. Or at least it will be if nobody does anything about it. Luckily there are plenty of organisations in Australia working to combat it, but they can’t do it alone. So, get involved in clean energy projects, sustainability campaigns, or awareness programs and make a real difference! 
  

If you want to make the most of your gap year, there’s no shortage of volunteering opportunities, so good luck finding any good reason to not get involved. Make your parents proud, get out there, do some good, and make this year one to remember! Head to volunteering.gov.au to find opportunities that suit your interests.