Volunteering in CanadaBy Jessica SegalInformation about volunteer opportunities in Canada.
Volunteer in Canada - Employment and Careers in Canada
Volunteering is an essential part of developing work experience. There are several reasons that explain why volunteering is so important. For one, communities are always in need of people to help out. Volunteering is beneficial to communities across the country and our society. Volunteers often feel good that they've helped out in their community, and their volunteering can benefit them in ways that they aren't even aware of. People who volunteer obtain valuable work experience for the future, and it also helps when applying for jobs. Volunteer work often looks good on resumes.
The first thing to consider when looking for volunteer work is your interests and how you intend on helping out in your community. Websites like http://www.voe-reb.org/ are one of the places people can look for information on volunteering in Canada. It offers several helpful things, such as a short list of key questions to ask yourself before beginning volunteer work. These questions are beneficial to people who don't know where to start when it comes to volunteering. They are helpful in narrowing down where it is that you'd like to volunteer. The website also helps to connect people with volunteer centers across Canada that can help them with their decisions. These centers are non-profit organizations that are devoted to encouraging volunteering in communities across Canada. They also provide information to people interested in volunteering. http://www.voe-reb.org/ has a page outlining what a volunteer center is and what it has to offer people interested in volunteering. They even provide contact information, such as phone numbers so that people can contact their nearest volunteer center. This is extremely helpful to people who have any questions regarding volunteer work.
Websites offer other volunteer options, such as virtual volunteering. This is volunteering done from home using the computer, or in your spare time at school or work. http://www.voe-reb.org/ offers information on virtual volunteering, as well as other volunteer opportunities like international volunteering. The site even offers a community events calendar that can inform citizens of events in their community that they can volunteer at. They also offers a questions and answer section that covers several things like the benefits of volunteering and the purpose of screening.
http://www.idealist.org/. is a website that offers a section on volunteering in 6 of Canada's provinces. They provide a list of places that offer volunteer work, pertaining to the area of Canada selected. This list contains a short description describing the position, and usually someone to contact or a website to get more information from. They also outline on the side of the page what skills the person must have and who can volunteer.
http://www.givingandvolunteering.ca/ offers general information on volunteering in Canada. They provide a few manuals that have information on volunteering in Canada.
Other websites offer a different approach to volunteerism, such as opportunities overseas. http://www.vsocanada.org/ international development agency that allows Canadians to volunteer in other countries. Volunteers can participate in a volunteer sending program, where they go to a country in need of help. They can work in fields such as education, health care, natural resources, etc. The website also offers a youth volunteer program for people between the age of 19 and 13 to go to Africa, Asia and the Pacific to volunteer for a 6 month period. As well, http://www.vsocanada.org/ offers some opportunities for people to get involved in North America.
A website dedicated to volunteerism in Vancouver is http://www.volunteervancouver.ca/ and it offers volunteer opportunities. These opportunities are available for people living in Vancouver who want to get involved. The website provides a list of 6 volunteer centers in the area and short list of volunteer opportunities available. They have an upcoming events page which is useful to people seeking short-term volunteer opportunities in Vancouver. This website is only useful for residents of Vancouver, however there are other provincial websites that offer information on volunteerism.
In conclusion, volunteerism opportunities in Canada is growing and in turn, beginning to increase the number of people volunteering in communities across the country. The websites listed in this article and in the mini-directory of volunteer links below offer valuable information on volunteerism, whether it is in Canada or overseas.
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