Volunteer Tutor

The Story Island Project is a Hobart-based not-for-profit organisation that nurtures the creativity and writing skills of young Tasmanians aged 7–17 and celebrates their diverse voices.

Supported by a team of enthusiastic volunteer tutors, Story Island runs dynamic storytelling workshops where children and young people are empowered to create their own stories. We focus on working with young people living in communities vulnerable to experiencing poverty and marginalisation.

Our vision is for children and young people to harness the power of their imaginations so they can grow to be resilient and creative shapers of their own lives.

We’re running a creative writing program at Bayview Secondary College, on Tuesday mornings in Term 4, from October 20, 2026. The program will run over 8 weeks, consisting of 90-minute workshops that build young people’s creative skills and confidence, supporting their participation in authentic, ‘real world’ arts experiences.

If you have a love of stories, and a commitment to share the spark of creativity with young people, you are just about the perfect volunteer. Being a volunteer tutor is incredibly rewarding and heaps of fun.

Each workshop is led by a Story Island Story Lead, who provide all the direction and input for students. Each volunteer works with a small - about 5 or 6 - students at a table group . We provide all volunteers a full induction and a free training/briefing session before the workshops commence. This will get you familiar enough with the program, give you the chance to meet and talk with other volunteers, and help you feel confident to be a volunteer. In the words of one of our experienced volunteers: 'Gentle, non-intrusive encouragement of students is the strategy that I've found most useful',

We do require all volunteers to have a current Working With Vulnerable People registration card and to complete the Department for Education, Training and Young People’s (online) Safeguarding Training for volunteers.