What is volunteering?
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:
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
How can volunteering fit into my lifestyle?
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. A wide spectrum of volunteer opportunities is available to suit various 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, later
·
Short-term longer-term, ongoing, or occasionally
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 bookshelf for a reading room Sew
costumes for a play
· Teach card-making in a rehabilitation centre
Build a stage for marathon ceremonies
·
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 (joining an international development
project overseas)
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-along 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
·
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)
Benefits of volunteering
·
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
Volunteering and retirement planning
·
Volunteering can play a key role at every stage,
but it can also serve as a way to help you through transitions, such as
retirement. Volunteering can contribute to your quality of life today and allow
you to create a legacy for the future.
·
Whether your transition or retirement involves a
change in your household, neighbourhood, health situation, employment status,
or daily schedule, volunteering can make your days both meaningful and
satisfying in new ways.
·
Volunteering can connect you to your community,
help you maintain your skills or develop new skills, and allow you to
participate in the democratic process. Volunteering can help shape
and preserve the society you want to live in—for yourself and for generations
to come.1
How to find the right volunteer opportunity:
Start by asking yourself the following questions:
·
What matters to me?
·
What skills and experiences do I want to share
or develop?
·
What setting would be best for me?
·
Are there others I know who might like to
volunteer together?
·
What are the challenges and issues in my community, the country, and in the world?
What kind of volunteer are you?
Take the Volunteer Quiz and get some ideas of what might
suit your interests, skills, and personality. www.getinvolved.ca
Finding volunteer opportunities
·
To find current opportunities, call an
organization you know, contact your local volunteer centre, look in your
neighbourhood newspaper, or check out websites or databases for volunteers.
To find more
information on seniors’ services and benefits, visit www.seniors.gc.ca or your local Service Canada office.
This information was prepared by Volunteer Canada at the
request of the Forum of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible
for Seniors.
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