By Jennifer Forde

Due to competing interests, the days of the perennial volunteer are no longer. Today’s volunteers are not able to donate as much time as they did in the past and are only able to commit to a defined term. Organizations who recruit volunteers must market, not only what they hope the volunteer is able to bring to their organization but what their organization can offer the volunteer also!

Volunteer roles that have the support of staff members, are linked to the community, offer real world/work experience and are in line with the strategic direction of the organization are essential in ensuring your volunteer program remains appealing and of course, stimulating. If a volunteer does not feel that their work is important to, not only their personal or professional development, but to the goals of the organization at large, the retention of that volunteer becomes problematic.

The recruitment, screening, interviewing, orientation, placement, on- going supervision, retention and recognition of volunteers is integral to the business of volunteers. These factors are especially important to the youth volunteer market. Today’s youth are media, market, and technologically savvy. They are well versed in everything that is new and upcoming in the information age and thus, have the know how to “shop” around for that perfect volunteer role.

Findings from the June 5, 2006, Statistics Canada report, Caring Canadians, Involved Canadians: Highlights from the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating demonstrates these important factors. This report addresses the volunteer activities of Canadians for a one year period in 2004 and presents some very important facts:

“Of the 11.8 million Canadians who volunteered in 2004, (approximately 45% of Canada’s population aged 15 and older) volunteer rates were highest among youth. The report found that the top three reasons for volunteering were to ‘use one’s skills and experiences, contribute to the community, and being affected by the work performed or the cause supported by the host organization” ¹.

Under the new diploma system in the province of Ontario, secondary school students must complete a mandatory 40 hours of community involvement as a requirement for their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. While most secondary students are well versed with the 40 hour, community involvement mandate, how do we as parents guide our children in attaining a formidable volunteer role?

I have worked as Recruiter for both volunteer and staff members and have also worked as a Volunteer Coordinator. Ironically, when it came time for the eldest of my two sons to begin to make arrangements for his volunteer role, my family was stumped! We did not know where to begin and realized that the process was not as easy as downloading random volunteer applications, and forwarding them on for consideration! Finding a meaningful volunteer role is as involved as finding that perfect job or career and like finding paid work, we must take many factors into consideration.

Our first course of action was to try and prepare our son to work as a volunteer. While most volunteer roles approximate staff roles, and are as not as specialized as paid occupations, they are often subject to the same accountabilities as paid work. Like paid staff, volunteer have certain rights, responsibilities and codes of conduct that must be adhered to. Given a young person’s first professional role may very well be a volunteer assignment an “Intro to Volunteering 101” helps arms students with the knowledge and know how that is important to not only the volunteer assignment but future work also.

The City of Toronto, Parks and Recreation offers the Leader in Training Program² and Volunteer Training Program³. The Leader in Training Program has both classroom and practical components. Students receive training through applicable theory and are then able to practice what they have learned in the field as volunteers. The City of Toronto, Volunteer Training Program places volunteers in various Parks and Recreation Department programs to work as assistants in their camp, arts and crafts, and recreation programs. To become a volunteer in this program one must go through an interview process and in some areas, mandatory attendance in an orientation program is required before placement.

After attending the Leader in Training Program our son had the confidence and fundamental skills to begin his search for an appropriate volunteer role. We opted to work with our local arena in this regard. My sons are avid hockey players and given we spend so much time at the rink, my son decided working as a volunteer at the arena would best suit his interest, time and skill set. The training my son received in the leadership program helped him to recognise that if he truly wanted to make a good impression to his prospective employer, he (and not his parents) should make contact with the prospective employer relative to his placement.

After contacting the convenor of our home hockey arena, my son had a formal interview. They decided that the best role for my son was to work as an assistant coach with the hockey school program at the arena. My son volunteered with the hockey school program Sunday mornings for three hours for four months. He helped younger hockey hopefuls master their skating technique, puck handling, and theoretical skills. It was a great opportunity for my son as he worked with renowned coaches, and helped develop not only the skills of those students he worked with but his own technique and knowledge also.

They are volunteer opportunities to suit most areas of interest. For example, if you know of a young person who loves to read or is interested in health care, opportunities abound!

The Toronto Public Library runs the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) volunteer program where “youth provide feedback on library collections, offer teen services and program suggestions and assist with the promotion of library services to teenagers in the community”⁴. Interested parties should contact their local library for information or visit the Toronto Public Library web site at www.torontopubliclibrary.ca.

For those interested in health care, many hospitals, long term care facilities and senior residences have programs for volunteers. Volunteer positions can be found in departments such as admission and discharge, nutrition services, information technology, and pharmacy. For those who wish to work directly with patients many hospitals offer volunteer roles in disciplines such as Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Therapeutic Recreation, Speech Language Pathology, and Meal Support.

Volunteers who work in the health care field are usually expected to complete a health record. This is a precaution as these volunteers are often in contact with a population that is more vulnerable to illness than the wider population. Some volunteer roles may also require a police record check. Contact your local hospital for more information.

Volunteering is an excellent way to learn a new skill, build a resume, explore or confirm a career choice and most importantly, allows us to make an invaluable contribution to our community. Volunteering is an invaluable experience which continues to yield return again and again and again!

 

Jennifer Forde works with the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) as the Event Planning, Publicity and Media Associate. Jennifer has worked as a Volunteer Coordinator with the Victoria Order of Nurses and as a Staff and Volunteer Recruiter for the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Jennifer currently volunteers with Rogers Cable Mississauga as a Reporter for First Local News. Jennifer is the mother of two up and coming hockey stars and spends most of her free time taxiing her sons between games. She can be reached at jennfier@ceric.ca.

References

¹Hall, M., Lasby, D., Gumulka, G & Tryon, C. (2006). Caring Canadians, Involved Canadians: Highlights from the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating. Retrieved July 24, 2006, from www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/71-542-XIE/71-542-XIE2006001.pdf

²City of Toronto: Parks, Forestry & Recreation. (2006). The FUN Guide • Spring/Summer 2006. Toronto, ON: Author.

³City of Toronto: Parks, Forestry & Recreation. (2006). The FUN Guide • Spring/Summer 2006. Toronto, ON: Author.

⁴Toronto Public Library. (2004). Volunteer at the Library. Toronto, ON: Author