The Journey

For our Volunteers, the journey of a lifetime will take place over the course of 14 months and beyond. This section shows the steps that Volunteers have or will take along this once in a lifetime opportunity to create history.

Start
The Federal Treasurer Peter Costello officially launched the Games Volunteer Program at Melbourne’s Federation Square on 28 January 2005. Mr Costello was joined by Victorian Premier, Mr Steve Bracks, Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation Chairman, Mr Ronald Walker, and Volunteer Patron Ms Raelene Boyle.

Application
People from all around the globe, and particularly Australians, responded overwhelmingly to the call for Volunteers for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. More than 20,000 applications were received in only 8 days at which time applications closed – an outstanding success.


Selection
Many Volunteers right around the country were assessed by our Volunteer Assessment Team (who are themselves Volunteers). These assessments, which took place throughout 2005, helped to ensure we engaged passionate, committed Volunteers with the appropriate skills to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime event in March 2006.

Rosters
In late 2005, the Volunteer workforce was advised of the roles, location, times and dates they would be involved with during the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. With such a wide variety of roles, a Volunteer's commitment could vary from several days to several months. Rosters were released in November 2005.

Training
To ensure Volunteers have the necessary skills and information to perform their assigned roles effectively, we will provide both general and role and venue specific training. Training is mandatory for Volunteers, and will predominantly take place in Melbourne from December 2005 through to late February 2006. Specific training schedules were issued through the Volunteer Portal in late 2005.

The multi-staged training process is as follows:

• Games Orientation – Introduction and overview of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
• Event Leadership Training – Specific training for people who are assigned to a role managing or leading others. This training will focus on what is required to lead and motivate a group of workforce in the context of a major event.
• Role Specific Training – Covers specific duties and procedures related to an individual’s role with the Games.
• Venue Specific Training – Covers the layout, functions performed, and policies and procedures (including health, safety and emergency procedures) at a specific venue.

Uniform and Accreditation Collection
Volunteers have been invited to attend the Uniform and Accreditation Centre (UAC) to collect their Games accreditation and uniform. The UAC is located in the Melbourne central business district. Due to the large numbers of people who are required to go through this process, invites were issued for a specific day and time to attend the UAC.

Games Time
While Volunteers will help to ensure the Games are a memorable and fantastic experience for all involved, our Volunteers will no doubt have a once in a lifetime experience and a lot of fun along the way themselves.

The legacy

As the competition finishes and the crowds depart, the spirit of the Games will live on through the people who were part of making the Commonwealth Games a great success.