How Can I Help

Volunteers

We welcome volunteers to assist at our established chapters. They may assist as table tennis playing partners or assist with other activities according to their skills and preferences. We also welcome people willing to coordinate new chapters in their neighbourhood. Volunteers and chapter coordinators can access a range of PingPongParkinson^® resources and receive individualised training and mentoring.

Around 25,000 PingPongParkinson^® sessions are delivered annually around the world. People leading and assisting at these sessions are usually volunteers, who bring a combination of the following attributes to their role:

• Personal experience or interest in Parkinson, whether as a person with PD, a friend or family member, or as a professional
• Passion for easing Parkinson through lifestyle measures, especially exercise
• Experience in table tennis and a desire to share enjoyment of the game with others
• Availability and desire to make a meaningful contribution to people in one’s community

Skills and attributes that are desirable include: people skills (e.g. warmth, interest, patience and clear communication), adaptability, skills in table tennis or exercise instruction, reliability, sense of humour, curiosity, compassion and initiative.  

Chapter leaders and volunteers who assist them usually manage the following tasks when delivering a session:

1. Prepare the room and equipment for the PPP session
2. Welcome and learn about attendees, facilitate introductions and discussion
3. Communicate about PingPongParkinson’s^® model
4. Guide a warm-up, table tennis session and a cool-down & other optional activities
5. Thank participants and volunteers, gather feedback, manage the attendance list

For more detailed information about the role of chapter leader, please contact Helen Halford at helen@pingpongparkinson.org

Ambassadors and Sponsors

At PingPongParkinson^® we care about every individual impacted by Parkinson and hope to improve their quality of life. To change the lives of individuals, we also think globally and we are invigorated by collaborative relationships with people throughout Australia and around the world with passion, empathy, playfulness and a desire to develop uncommon solutions to complex problems. We would love to hear from innovators, clinicians, educators, business owners, equipment suppliers, and others who may like to become ambassadors, sponsors or partners of PingPongParkinson^® in Australia. Please contact Helen Halford, PingPongParkinson’s^® Global Implementation Specialist and Coordinator in Australia at helen@pingpongparkinson.org or +61 423 315 939.