Get Involved

There are many ways that you can get involved at ECOSS.

ECOSS loves and values our wonderful Volunteers.

Opportunities for volunteering exist in the following areas

  • Volunteer in Crops for Community Program. email: allabilities@ecoss.org.au
  • Undertake general maintenance works needed around the property.  Various physical labour jobs, guided by the fantastic Ric Butler. email allabilities@ecoss.org.au
  • Help in the office, many jobs need doing, assisted by Chelsea.
  • Creative jobs around the place.  ECOSS loves artists!! We need signage, and beautiful sculpture etc… propose your creative project to ECOSS!
  • Festivals ECOSS hosts many events during the year, if you can be of assistance please email Leanne on: ecotopiastalls@gmail.com

Community Garden

Our community garden is a place for everyone to come and get their hands dirty while creating community connections and new friends.  You can propagate seeds for the garden in our nursery. You are welcome to come in and have some fun Tuesday to Friday between 9am and 4pm. If you would like to come and volunteer in the garden and you haven’t before please go to the contact page or drop in and have a chat with us and we will get you started.  Currently we have Interchange Outer East clients volunteering on Wednesdays and Fridays.  They have been wonderful helpers in our garden and have energised the space.  Come along and check it out!

Crops for Community

Educating and empowering volunteers of all abilities to grow food crops for both distribution and sale.

This initiative marries the ECOSS Community Garden volunteers, with the weekly produce Market, local food relief organisations and ECOSS nursery, enabling opportunities for connection, skill building and greater food security in the Yarra Valley.

Social and community benefits

Firstly, this initiative marries the ECOSS Community Garden and all abilities programme with the ECOSS Weekly Market so that 1/3rd of vegetables grown are sold as fresh produce.

Secondly, 1/3rd of ECOSS produce grown through the ‘Crops for Community Programme is donated to the KOHA Community Cafe. Koha Community Cafe is a local community based project. Based on the Lentil As Anything concept, anyone can come and have a meal paying only what they can afford or what they think it is worth. Koha’s aim is to promote inclusion, and community self reliance. A further 1/3rd is donated to the OONAH Indigenous Services Tuckerbag Programme. Oonah currently runs a Tucker Bag Program each Friday during school term to provide stable food relief to anyone in the local community who requires the extra support.

Where possible and practical, some of the produce is prepared and cooked as curries and soups to be sold at various festivals and happenings occurring at ECOSS. Our allabilities team participates in this value adding process learning many skills. These three streams of access provide opportunities for connection and greater food security in the Yarra Ranges and a wonderful engagement for our Crops For Community volunteers.
Involvement in the ‘Crops For Community’ programme allows our volunteers of all abilities to gain skills in:

  • Propagation and seed planting
  • Plant care
  • Pruning
  • Plant ID
  • Harvesting
  • Preparation
  • Cooking
  • Sales and promotion
  • Pest management
  • Composting and worm farming
  • Bed Preparation and soil health

To be involved in ECOSS’s Crops for Community volunteer program please contact
Melanie
Disabilities and Volunteer Project Development Officer
allabilities@ecoss.org.au
John
Crops for Community Coordinator
cropsforcommunity@ecoss.org.au

Download Brochure

Project Supporters

Membership

Yarra Valley ECOSS is managed by a Committee of Management elected by the members at each Annual General Meeting of the association. The Committee of Management is supported by a range of working sub-committees, paid part-time staff and volunteers. As a membership-based organisation ECOSS needs a strong base to support its activities and guide its development. If you are interested in helping to develop sustainable living solutions for the Yarra Valley community we encourage you to join up as a financial member.

Membership benefits include:

* Opportunities to have your say in the development of ECOSS and to assist with planning and management
* Voting rights at general meetings
* Regular newsletters and email updates
Annual Membership fees are:
  • Individual            $15
  • Individual concession         $10
  • Family                 $25
  • Family concession              $20
  • Organisation/Group              $40
We have an extensive email list and a Facebook page for those wanting to keep in touch and be informed of developments and events, however joining in on these communication tools doesn’t bestow any of the primary membership benefits.

Volunteers & Inclusiveness

ECOSS thrives on the wonderful input from our Volunteers. It would be very difficult for ECOSS to develop and progress the way we do without our Volunteers. From working in the nursery and in our gardens. including the Community Garden, helping with our projects and events to helping in the office our volunteers give a large amount of time.

Volunteer activities rotate with our Seasonal Calendar of Events, and include passive and active roles. We value your skills and would love to create opportunities that interest you. We like to provide co-learning opportunities for skill sharing.

We welcome new Volunteers at any time and believe that there is no such thing as too many volunteers.

Please contact our wonderful Volunteer Coordinator Melanie Daymond on: allabilities@ecoss.org.au

All ongoing Volunteers require a Working with Childrens Check- our lovely staff can assist you with your application.

Cultural Diversity is important to ECOSS.  We welcome all genders, rainbow people, all abilities and all cultures to work together in peace at ECOSS.

ECOSS pays respects to the traditional owners of this land- the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, and elders Past and Present.

Jobs @ ECOSS

There are currently no positions available.