ABA Training Community Educators and Breastfeeding Counsellors

How can I support ABA?

If you are already a subscriber to the Association you are already a supporter! If you have not yet subscribed, this is one way to help the Association.

There are many other ways people - both women and men - actively further the work of ABA. They do this by volunteering for the Association and using their life skills, previous training, education and other work experience. All contributions made by volunteers to ABA are all valued and valuable.

OK… so what can I do?

There are two ways you can go:

Being a member who volunteers your existing expertise (being a mother! and more) or time to help facilitate the Association's work.

1. This could be at your local group level.
• Have you gone along to group activities and supported other mums, just by regular attendance?
• Have you offered to help on the roster at your group's Feed and Change tent at the Cairns Show?
• Offered to audit the group's books at the end of the financial year, because you are someone such as a book-keeper or bank teller or work in a financial management business, or teach business studies?
• Are you good at making grant applications? Something you have just thought of? … contact your group leader and tell her!
2. You might like to consider training to become a community educator or a breastfeeding counsellor. Training is on-the-job, flexible and fully supported with personnel and training resources. In ABA much training happens in the local group, so if you are considering this, you must be involved.
• A community educator is an advocate for breastfeeding, providing his/her local group with educational activities aimed at promoting and facilitating breastfeeding. These might include leading ABA group discussion meetings and Breastfeeding Education Classes, giving talks to schools and community service groups, organising displays, providing local media with articles on local group activities. The community educator may also take on other group roles, such as leading an ABA local group or being a breast pump hire officer; or being active on a regional, state or national level. His/her training involves completion of:
• 21797 Certificate IV in Breastfeeding Education (Community)
  or at minimum
• 21797 Statement of Attainment in Community Education
• A breastfeeding counsellor counsels women who want breastfeeding information and support in non-medical breastfeeding areas. She may also be the local group leader and the breast pump hire officer. She is available for counselling at group activities and at any other incidental time, and is usually involved in email counselling and/or participating in counselling on the National Telephone Helpline.
• Her training involves completion of 21796 Certificate IV in Breastfeeding Education (Counselling)

Yes, I am interested in volunteering!

We can find a niche for you!

Start with talking to your group leader and looking at the ABA website.

To find out more about the Association explore the section “About ABA”. This gives an overview of our Association and sets out our guiding principles. All our volunteers need to adhere to the guidelines and policies set by the Association in their volunteer work.

Your support of the Association will also mean that you learn new skills and you'll find stimulating, challenging ways of putting your existing experience into practice.