Hi. Thanks again for signing up to be a volunteer. You probably have some idea of how bad the situation is with COVID-19, and how bad it is likely to get in the future.

If you're curious, here is a page with data updated daily about the virus in Australia. As of writing, there are 359 confirmed cases in the country.

What other approaches to mutual aid already exist?

There are lots of ways people are taking action to care for the members of their community who are at high risk.

One way is direct in-person check ins. Please check on your neighbours. Your neighbours might not be on Facebook or in our social networks. They matter. Scrub your hands carefully with soap, then go knock on their door or leave them a note with your number on it. Local networks are some of the most powerful and protective. Sometimes the most direct outreach is the most effective.

Another thing people have done is set up Facebook groups, like Northside Melbourne Coronavirus Outreach. In these groups, people who need help can make a post and hopefully someone will reply and help them out. People can also make posts with offers of help or resources. People have been doing this in our group too, and it's great.

However, there are a few problems with this system:

• Not everyone who makes a post will necessarily get a reply
• The Facebook algorithm controls what people see
• It's hard to coordinate prioritising getting help to the people who need it most
• Not everyone feels comfortable making a public post
• It's hard to coordinate ongoing support

These free-for-all groups are so wonderful and really embody a spirit of community. However, there are ways they can be improved upon. We want to keep trying to do that so that nobody gets left behind, and so that we can be accountable to our communities.

Artwork by Sam Wallman. Formalising and expanding upon this beautiful solidarity is one of the goals of this project.

How does our approach work?

Currently, this is what our system looks like at a very basic level. In the following pages, we will go into more detail.

✅Volunteers sign up using a Google form

📝Their information is stored in a spreadsheet

⚠️People request help using a Google form

📝Their request is stored in a spreadsheet

📫When a request comes in, an organiser contacts a volunteer with the details of the request

➡️The volunteer contacts the person needing help and arranges to do shopping for them, bring meals or check in

📞The person needing help gets contacted by a volunteer

✅The volunteer reports back to the organiser

❤️They receive the help they requested from the form

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Should I be volunteering?

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Some vital information about hygiene and the virus