Volunteering
What are Volunteers?
Volunteers are involved in virtually every aspect of society including health, education, social services, youth, sports and recreation, culture, the arts and the environment. Some volunteers give just one hour of time each week; others devote many hours. Volunteers are involved in one-time events as well as ongoing commitments. Some choose to volunteer out in the community whereas others are virtual volunteers and do their volunteering from the comfort of home. Volunteers can work on their own or with others, do hands-on work or volunteer at an administrative or leadership level.
The United Nations defines Volunteering as an action that meets all three of the following criteria:
(a) it is undertaken freely and without coercion;
(b) it is undertaken for reasons other than financial gain;
(c) it is undertaken to benefit the community as well as the volunteer.
Who Volunteers?
“Volunteering gives me an opportunity to disengage from work.
Volunteerism re-energizes me”
Ruth Kelly, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Venture Magazine
Some volunteers have the support of their employers and are permitted to modify their work hours in order to take part in volunteer activity.
Some people volunteer with members of their family. When time is short and the demands are many, family volunteering offers a wonderful opportunity for family members to be together while contributing to their community or to a cause they hold dear.
Some volunteers do so because they are new Canadians and volunteering offers them the chance to gain Canadian work experience, to practice language skills and to integrate into a new community.
Youth volunteers have many reasons for why they volunteer: to discover their talents, to explore career options, to act on their social awareness, to gain self-confidence, to build a sense of independence or to complete high school curriculum requirements.
Older adult volunteers know that experience matters and volunteering provides opportunities to use valuable skills, to give back to their communities, to mentor others and to create and maintain relationships.
Volunteers play a vital role in Canadian society. Across Canada, volunteers are engaged in delivering services and programs that improve and enhance the life of our communities. Volunteers are people just like you.
- Excerpts from Volunteer Canada’s website
How can I Volunteer?
Volunteer Alberta launches govolunteer.ca in Alberta
govolunteer.ca is a one-stop-shop online portal where interested Albertans can easily search volunteer opportunities best suited to their skills and interests in communities across Alberta. Developed by Volunteer Vancouver, this sleek and user friendly site has been a major success in British Columbia. We are now bringing it to Alberta! Volunteer Alberta has recently acquired provincial licensing rights to allow member organizations to access the services of this powerful online recruitment tool in a more affordable manner. Volunteer Alberta is committed to making it easier for people to volunteer and this initiative provides one affordable and hassle free solution for organizations to reach out to new volunteers in new ways.
For Volunteers: To find out about volunteer opportunities in your community, please check out: www.govolunteer.ca
For Member Organizations: If you’re interested in joining Volunteer Alberta in this initiative, please contact Rosanne at progmgr@volunteeralberta.ab.ca
Contact your local Volunteer Centre for current opportunities.
Current statistics and trends about Volunteering are available under Resources.