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Tag: volunteering

  • Deciding Where to Volunteer

    Deciding Where to Volunteer

    Like many students, you will need to acquire 40 hours of volunteer work before you are able to graduate. So where do you begin?

    When choosing the best place for you, there are a few considerations that you should keep in mind. The first thing to consider is location. Whether you are getting a ride from your parents, driving yourself or taking the bus, you are going to want to select a location that is convenient and accessible for you. You will want to choose something that will not be a headache to get to every time you have a shift because this could affect your attendance at your volunteer placement and potentially lead to an unfavorable outcome. By selecting a location that is convenient, you are that much closer to a successful volunteer placement.

    The next aspect to consider about your vounteer placement is the type of work that you will be doing and how the volunteering will benefit you. To find out more about the nature of the position you will apply for, you can check the company website or call the contact number and speak with someone directly. It is helpful if there is a position description that you can refer to, however keep in mind that this is not always the case. A description of the position will help you to identify if it is a good fit for your interests and skills. Choosing something that fits with your personality can help you to stay motivated and feel that you are doing a good job at your volunteer placement. This is a very fulfilling and rewarding feeling.

    In choosing a position, you may want to be adventurous and try something that you are not good at in the hopes that you might learn something new about yourself or develop a new skill. If you are choosing to be adventurous, be sure that you are being realistic about how much of a challenge the activity will be for you. Remember that you are looking for personal growth as well as looking to make a meaningful contribution to the organization that you are going to be volunteering with. Choosing something that is difficult but realistic in terms of the skills required is the best way to have a rewarding experience.

    By choosing a volunteer placement that is in a convenient location for you and that either fits your skills nicely or will present you with a reasonable challenge, you are setting yourself up for personal and professional growth. You can also look forward to a positive reference from your volunteer placement, providing you with an overall rewarding experience.

  • Do Employers Look at Volunteer Experience?

    Do Employers Look at Volunteer Experience?

    When thinking about volunteering, we have a tendency to believe that volunteer experience simply doesn’t measure up to work experience because it is not paid. Sometimes we think that volunteering is “just for fun” or “just to help out”, but we don’t really consider volunteering to be good enough to be counted as real experience.

    These thoughts are false. Volunteering is, in many ways, much better than work experience because it demonstrates initiative on the part of the individual. It also demonstrates that one can do many of the basic requirements for any job, such as working as part of a team, working independently, and performing specific job tasks that may be relevant to another job in the future.

    Employers are also interested in finding people who have experience in a particular field. Currently, it is very common for people applying to medical school or looking to work in prestigious companies to put in time as an intern – without pay. This type of experience is looked upon quite favorably and is considered as far superior to having no experience.

    Personally, having worked a volunteer position as a brand ambassador for a fitness company, I was able to land more than five jobs that I would not have been considered for had I not volunteered. At the time I was unaware of the value of volunteering and was mostly disappointed that I was not receiving any pay for my efforts. I learned many valuable skills while volunteering in addition to having the after benefits of getting other related (paying) jobs.

    Stick with it! Volunteering is a great way to get a foot in the door and perhaps begin a job placement after volunteering.

  • Get Your 40 Volunteer Hours

    Get Your 40 Volunteer Hours

    As you know, all high school students need to have 40 hours of community service in order to graduate. Use this information to discover where your 40 hours can best be used.

    Volunteer Centres work in local communities to strengthen volunteering and citizen engagement. With more than 200 in Canada, each volunteer centre’s name, size, structure and services reflect the unique characteristics of their community.

    To find a volunteer centre in your area, click here.

    Many volunteer centres are independent non-profit organizations, while others are part of a United Way, Social Planning Council, Community Information and Referral Centre or municipal services. Though diverse in many ways, they share the following common functions:

    – Promote volunteering

    – Build the capacity of organizations to engage volunteers

    – Facilitate connections between people with volunteer opportunities

    – Provide leadership on issues related to volunteering and citizen engagement

    If you want to volunteer, your local volunteer centre is there to connect you to opportunities in your community. It may have a database of volunteer opportunities or can connect you directly to opportunities within its member organizations.

  • Get Your Volunteer Hours!

    Get Your Volunteer Hours!

    As you know, all high school students need to have 40 hours of community service in order to graduate. Use this information to discover where your 40 hours can best be used.

    Volunteer Centres work in local communities to strengthen volunteering and citizen engagement. With more than 200 in Canada, each volunteer centre’s name, size, structure and services reflect the unique characteristics of their community.

    To find a volunteer centre in your area, click here.

    Many volunteer centres are independent non-profit organizations, while others are part of a United Way, Social Planning Council, Community Information and Referral Centre or municipal services. Though diverse in many ways, they share the following common functions:

    – Promote volunteering

    – Build the capacity of organizations to engage volunteers

    – Facilitate connections between people with volunteer opportunities

    – Provide leadership on issues related to volunteering and citizen engagement

    If you want to volunteer, your local volunteer centre is there to connect you to opportunities in your community. It may have a database of volunteer opportunities or can connect you directly to opportunities within its member organizations.

  • The Value of Volunteering

    The Value of Volunteering

    Volunteering has almost become a dirty word in some circles, and it’s not hard to see why: when you’re looking for a job, giving away your labour for free can seem counter-productive at first. In spite of this, statistics show that some 12 million Canadians take part in volunteer activities each year—that’s nearly half the population . Let’s take a closer look at what you gain when you decide to volunteer.

    First and foremost, volunteering is a great opportunity to learn about yourself and what you enjoy doing. No matter where your interests lie, chances are there is a volunteer opportunity out there for you. Do you love animals? Volunteer at your local animal shelter. Are you passionate about the arts? Volunteer at a music festival. Think you might want to become a doctor? Volunteer at a hospital. You might love it and decide you want to pursue a career in that field—or you might discover that a particular job just isn’t for you.  Either way, you’re gaining valuable self-learning and awareness. Volunteering is the ultimate tool for exploring your interests and experimenting with different kinds of work.

    Not only can volunteering give you a chance to indulge your hobbies and find your passion, it looks great on a resume. Whether you spend a year doing it or just a weekend, volunteer experience can signal to employers that you’re the kind of person who has varied interests, takes initiative and isn’t afraid to try new thing. Given the number of resumes most employers go through, it never hurts to have something that sets you apart from the crowd.

    Another area where volunteering can be invaluable is networking. If you’re having a hard time finding work in a particular field, volunteering is a great way to break into the industry and get your name known. The contacts you meet through volunteering could serve you as references in the future, or they might be able to let you in on trade secrets or even job opportunities that aren’t available to the general public. Most organizations are extremely grateful for the work volunteers do and are more than willing to help you out if they can, so don’t be afraid to ask.

    The final reason to try out volunteering is the simplest: it feels good to give back. Volunteers are the lifeblood of many charitable organizations; without them, the good work these places do would never be possible. Keep in mind that volunteering is best experienced when it’s something that you find personally meaningful. Luckily, given the wealth of volunteer opportunities out there, finding one that matches your passion (and fits your schedule) shouldn’t be too difficult.

    This article has covered a few of the main benefits of volunteering, but don’t take our word for it. Get out there and discover the value of volunteering for yourself!

  • The Value of Volunteering

    The Value of Volunteering

    Volunteering has almost become a dirty word in some circles, and it’s not hard to see why: when you’re looking for a job, giving away your labour for free can seem counter-productive at first. In spite of this, statistics show that some 12 million Canadians take part in volunteer activities each year—that’s nearly half the population . Let’s take a closer look at what you gain when you decide to volunteer.

    First and foremost, volunteering is a great opportunity to learn about yourself and what you enjoy doing. No matter where your interests lie, chances are there is a volunteer opportunity out there for you. Do you love animals? Volunteer at your local animal shelter. Are you passionate about the arts? Volunteer at a music festival. Think you might want to become a doctor? Volunteer at a hospital. You might love it and decide you want to pursue a career in that field—or you might discover that a particular job just isn’t for you.  Either way, you’re gaining valuable self-learning and awareness. Volunteering is the ultimate tool for exploring your interests and experimenting with different kinds of work.

    Not only can volunteering give you a chance to indulge your hobbies and find your passion, it looks great on a resume. Whether you spend a year doing it or just a weekend, volunteer experience can signal to employers that you’re the kind of person who has varied interests, takes initiative and isn’t afraid to try new thing. Given the number of resumes most employers go through, it never hurts to have something that sets you apart from the crowd.

    Another area where volunteering can be invaluable is networking. If you’re having a hard time finding work in a particular field, volunteering is a great way to break into the industry and get your name known. The contacts you meet through volunteering could serve you as references in the future, or they might be able to let you in on trade secrets or even job opportunities that aren’t available to the general public. Most organizations are extremely grateful for the work volunteers do and are more than willing to help you out if they can, so don’t be afraid to ask.

    The final reason to try out volunteering is the simplest: it feels good to give back. Volunteers are the lifeblood of many charitable organizations; without them, the good work these places do would never be possible. Keep in mind that volunteering is best experienced when it’s something that you find personally meaningful. Luckily, given the wealth of volunteer opportunities out there, finding one that matches your passion (and fits your schedule) shouldn’t be too difficult.

    This article has covered a few of the main benefits of volunteering, but don’t take our word for it. Get out there and discover the value of volunteering for yourself!

  • Why Should I Volunteer?

    Why Should I Volunteer?

    People volunteer their time for lots of different reasons. You can pick your own reasons, but here’s our top ten:

    1. You have to!

      You have to complete 40 hours of volunteer work to graduate high school in Ontario

    2. Forty hours! Sound like a long time? Over four years, you probably spend way more time than that watching TV, standing in front of the mirror or riding the bus.So, the fact you have to do 40 hours of volunteer work to graduate high school in Ontario really shouldn’t be such a big deal.Your school calls this requirement ‘community involvement’. The Ministry of Education has some rules about it, like:
      • You can’t be paid for your volunteer work.
      • You can’t skip class! You can volunteer during the summer, after school, weekends or even on your lunch or during your spare.
      • Chores you already do around the house don’t count. Unfortunately, cleaning your room isn’t volunteer work!

      Your school board has a list of pre-approved volunteer activities. Ask a teacher or guidance counsellor for the list and for the full set of rules. If what you want to do isn’t on the list, make sure you talk to your teacher first to see if your school principal will agree to it.

    3. Pump up your resume.

      When you’re looking for a job, volunteer experience helps. It shows you’re responsible and gives you references who can prove you do good work.

    4. It feels good to help people.

      Try helping somebody and see how you feel – you just might become addicted!

    5. Make the world a better place.

      Making the world better, safer, happier, healthier or cleaner starts with small projects so get in there and get your hands dirty.

    6. Learn something about yourself.

      You might be a great leader or more outgoing than you ever thought – only one way to find out – try new things!

    7. Figure out what kind of career you want.

      Thinking about becoming a doctor? Volunteer at a hospital!

    8. Activism is hot!

      If you’re passionate about causes like the environment or human rights, there are lots of charities and groups you can join.

    9. Meet new people.

      Your best friends might be the coolest, but volunteering is a chance to meet a whole new circle of people.

    10. It’s fun.

      If you volunteer doing something you love and are interested in, the work you do won’t feel like work at all.

    11. Prove adults wrong.

      If you think adults don’t give teens any respect, here’s your chance to prove you care about your community and are ready to lend a hand.

  • Need Volunteer Hours? Join a Mob!

    Need Volunteer Hours? Join a Mob!

    The student’s quest for 40 community service hours is not always a pretty one. Sponge-bathing senior citizens and picking up garbage are healthy for the community, but often so uninspiring to the average teenager that procrastination happens and some diploma-getting is in jeopardy.

    What if you could find volunteer work that you’re passionate about, that gives you larger opportunities, that is part of a worldwide social activist movement? The Me to We (Mob)ilizers are students all across Canada, working from the ground to promote and support the charity Free The Children and facilitate real social change in the world.

    It’s all about going from thinking ‘me’, with selfish or self-centred motives and aspirations, to thinking ‘we’, with motivation to do right for all. If you are seeking to volunteer and get involved as a global citizen on a larger scale, consider joining the Me to We MOB.

    The entire enterprise began when a 12 year old Craig Kielburger read a news article about a 12 year old in South Asia who had died as a result of horrible child labour exploitation. This inspired him to make a difference. In 1995 Craig began speaking out for children’s rights in different small venues throughout Ontario. His vision caught on and late that year, he founded the Free the Children organization, with what he described as the motivation to “free the children from poverty, and free the children from the notion that they are powerless to affect change”.

    This means that while we work to end the enslavement and exploitation of children far from home, we can help children here to understand how valuable they are to the world, becoming enlightened and empowered.

    Today, Free the Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth in 45 countries involved in its education and development programs (like the Me to We initiatives).

    When an organization gets so large, it can become difficult to stay connected to the individual people while continuing to bring new, passionate youth into the cycle. That’s where the MOB comes in, taking Free the Children back to its grassroots and spreading the message from the ground up.

    Erica Baker is a MOB-Lead for Canada’s West Coast and a summer intern with Free the Children headquarters. When asked to describe what the MOB is Erica’s response, “Can I just say amazing?” was one of honest passion.

    “We are the masses. We are the movement. We are the MOB,” Erica said, “a vast group of students operating out of many cities across Canada, who are serious about making a mark on the social issues of our time. We organize events and fundraisers to benefit Me to We and Free the Children, and bring awesome, motivated young people together from across the country to make change,” Erica continued.

    She revealed that this year, the (Mob)ilizers are supporting one village in India, one in Ecuador, and one in Haiti, with funds going toward building houses, schools, and health clinics there. (Mob)ilizers have the option of going to one of these villages at the end of the school year to see exactly what their efforts are accomplishing.

    Applications are open until July 25th for next year’s MOB. To check out more or apply for a MOB position in your city, visit http://www.metowe.com/movement/mobilizers/join/.

  • Getting Your 40 Volunteer Hours

    Getting Your 40 Volunteer Hours

    As you know, all high school students need to have 40 hours of community service in order to graduate. Use this information to discover where your 40 hours can best be used.

    Volunteer Centres work in local communities to strengthen volunteering and citizen engagement. With more than 200 in Canada, each volunteer centre’s name, size, structure and services reflect the unique characteristics of their community.

    To find a volunteer centre in your area, click here.

    Many volunteer centres are independent non-profit organizations, while others are part of a United Way, Social Planning Council, Community Information and Referral Centre or municipal services. Though diverse in many ways, they share the following common functions:

    – Promote volunteering

    – Build the capacity of organizations to engage volunteers

    – Facilitate connections between people with volunteer opportunities

    – Provide leadership on issues related to volunteering and citizen engagement

    If you want to volunteer, your local volunteer centre is there to connect you to opportunities in your community. It may have a database of volunteer opportunities or can connect you directly to opportunities within its member organizations.

  • Don’t Put Off Your Volunteer Hours!

    Don’t Put Off Your Volunteer Hours!

    Second semester is creeping its way into your life, pressure from exams have fled, and you are starting as fresh as an untouched blanket of winter snow (depending on your geographic climate, substitute snow for a bed of grass). This may be an opportune time to begin those volunteer hours you have put off “for next year” since grade 9.

    So where do you start volunteering? The first place to look is within your school community. Volunteering your time to benefit the environment of your school is a great way to establish a substantial rapport with teachers and peers alike. This does not mean you should ask your automotive teacher if he needs any work done on his front lawn! Try and find things that help the community as whole, and not just individuals you know personally. For example, you can help out with school events that may include, but are not limited to: environmental/horticultural projects, school plays, events, and fundraisers. Helping out in scenarios like the ones mentioned will not only get you some community hours, but can also foster connections with people you may have never thought about talking to! There are also clubs and teams that need assistance every once in a while. The school football team will always need a field marker for their home games! However, if you can not find anything remotely close to these examples at your school, talk to you guidance counselor and they will be happy to aid you in your quest to
    support your community!

    Letʼs not forget the great world outside of your school! Helping your own neighbourhood is also a beneficial way to not only get the hours you need for that diploma, but you can also tailor your time volunteering to gain skills you can put on a resume or use in an interview. For example, if you want to become a teacher, tutoring students after school will allow you to explore some aspects of the career. If you are thinking about nursing or becoming a doctor, helping at your local hospital may give you more of an understanding and appreciation for those professions. On the other hand, it may lead you toward never wanting to catch a cold again! Nevertheless, donʼt just volunteer for the sake of getting those hours out of the way, think about what potential careers you might want to investigate and use the volunteer hours as an opportunity to explore! Also, do not be afraid to check out universities around your neighborhood to see if they want help as well. The harder you search, the more rewarding the experience will be!