VOLUNTEERING IN CANADA, BUILD YOUR NETWORKING AND RESUME
Volunteering is the time you give to strengthen your community and improve others' quality of life as well as your own. There are so many ways to be involved in the community that:
Speak to your passion
Suit your personality
Meet your interests
Build on your experiences
Fit into your lifestyle
Contribute to your health and well-being
You may be at a point in your life when you do not want to take on any more responsibility or you may be in a position to take charge. There is a wide spectrum of volunteer opportunities available to suit a range of interests and circumstances.
You can volunteer:
From home
In an office
In a garden
Overseas
With family and friends
On your own
Just in the summer
Once a year
Every day
Now or later
Short-term, longer-term, ongoing, or occasionally
Combine volunteering with other things that are important in your life such as:
Time with family (volunteer with your family or in your grandchildren's school)
Travelling (join an international development project overseas)
Spending time with friends (get a group together to plan a special event)
Hobbies (teach puppet-making in a community centre)
Recreation (be a swimming buddy for someone with a disability)
The possibilities are endless.
Leadership
Facilitate a strategic planning session
Serve on a Board or Committee
Chair a fundraising campaign
Help start a tenants rights association
Management and administration
Review a Human Resources Manual
Organize a volunteer schedule for an event
Enter data at a resource centre
Provide general office help
Technology and social media
Design a website for an elder-care co-op
Write a blog on affordable housing
Customize a donor database for a food bank
Teach computer skills in a community centre
Building and handicrafts
Build a book shelf for a reading room
Sew costumes for a play
Teach card-making in a rehabilitation centre
Build a stage for marathon ceremonies
Nature and environment
Walk a dog for a local animal shelter
Research pesticide bylaws in different cities
Plant vegetables in a community garden
One-to-one support
Tutor children
Comfort a victim of violence
Be a mentor to a teen
Coach an executive director
Direct Service
Answer the phones for a helpline
Prepare lunch in a soup kitchen
Coach a team
Drive people to medical appointments
Entertainment
Play piano for a sing-a-long at a retirement residence
MC at a volunteer service awards night
Do a stand-up comedy act at a fundraiser
Join a choir that entertains at community events
In addition to the valuable contribution you make to the community, volunteering has been proven to have many benefits for you as a volunteer.
Opportunities to:
Learn new skills
Expand horizons
Maintain or establish a sense of belonging
Expand social and business contacts
Stay active
Reduction of:
Stress, anxiety, and depression
Low self-esteem
Social isolation
Stress-related illness