Frontiers Foundation

What services does your organization provide?
Our volunteers work in two different areas-education and recreation. On our education projects the volunteers assist in the community schools, working as tutors and teaching assistants. The role of our volunteers in the schools is varied and our volunteers try to provide support in areas where the skills are not readily available, such as computer instruction and physical education. We also work extensively with troubled students and students with learning disabilities.

On our recreation projects the volunteers help to provide extra social and recreational opportunities for at-risk youth. They do this by putting on a supervising a wide range of activities often in the community recreation centre.

Do you have any age requirements?
The minimum age to volunteer is 19.

Do you require language proficiency other than in English?
No.

What time commitment(s) are you expecting from a volunteer?
Our projects work around the school year and our projects begin in late August or early September and continue for almost ten months, through to the end of June. This is a long term commitment and anyone applying should give this very serious consideration. If you were to apply and be accepted to volunteer with Frontiers Foundation all of your travel within Canaada to and from the project location would be covered along with all food and living expenses. The volunteers are provided with winter clothing and receive a stipend of $50 a week for pocket money.

Are there any other requirements for being a volunteer?
A university degree is often helpful but not essential. Previous experience in working with youth, doing volunteer work, or doing tutoring work is helpful. Some expertise in the areas of computer instruction or physical education and sports is often good to have.

Are there any specific skills and experience required?
The main factor that we look for is character of the volunteer. The communities in which we work suffer from extreme social problems with the worst of these being alcoholism and drug abuse. We need volunteers that are prepared to deal with these problems on a daily basis and overcome the challenges. We are looking for energetic and outgoing individuals that want to make an impact on a community. We need people with a strong and genuine desire to live and work in another culture and to learn about another way of life.

What type of volunteer positions are typically available?
We will have a total of twenty-five volunteers working in eleven different communities. These communities include Inuvik, Fort Good Hope, Fort Providence, Fort Liard, Wrigley, Trout Lake, Fort Simpson, Hay River, the Okanagan Indian Band, Piikani in southern Alberta, and Williams Lake in British Columbia.

Is there any training provided for volunteers?
Yes. We send out a series of emails to the new volunteers to help prepare them for the project. We also have the new volunteers get in touch with the volunteers from the previous year and the Principals of the schools in which they would volunteer.

What are the typical volunteer activities occurring at your organization?
On our education projects our volunteers are expected to work in the school under the supervision of the teachers and Principal. They are expected to work the same hours as the staff and assist in any way that they are needed. On our recreation projects the volunteers work closely with the Band Office to provide activities that assist the youth and elders and often work in the evenings and on weekends.

How will a person benefit from volunteering with Frontiers Foundation?
The benefits can be enormous. This is a truly unique opportunity for volunteers to live and work in remote, First Nations, communities and see and do things that very few people have seen or done. They would experience another way of life and be immersed in a new culture. They would learn about the problems that exist in many First Nations communities and work closely with young people. For the right people this can be a life changing experience.

Do you accept high school students?
Not usually as the minimum age is 19.