Thanks to work funded by City of Calgary FCSS and the ongoing work and friendship of Dr Moyo Mutamba, Volunteer Connector was able to complete the start of a deeper dive into understanding the colonial structures inherent in volunteerism. Here is an excerpt from the report:

“We can assume that asking racialized people to interact with the police to request a police check could be triggering, but we would be remiss in not understanding more about this experience. How many people are affected by this potentially harmful practice and what other barriers do BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) volunteers face in the sector? We knew that to get a clear picture of these issues in our sector, we needed concrete data from volunteers.”

Part of the Intersectionality Project, this Zine was created with the question of “How does Chinese and Indigenous Volunteerism differ from Westernized views on volunteerism?”.

Volunteer Alberta strives to be an ally and good treaty partners on the journey toward Reconciliation and Indigenous Resurgence. We have made commitments in our Land Affirmation and are taking active steps to fulfill our responsibilities and stay accountable to ourselves, our community, and our stakeholders. This document is one way to track our progress over time in a manner that allows for transparency and accountability. Within it, we relay what actions we have taken, what we hope to accomplish, and a history of our Land Affirmations as they were developed.

This guide offers practical steps and core principles to help organizations create welcoming, respectful environments for transgender and gender-diverse staff and volunteers. It provides actionable steps for allies and for managers and supervisors, along with Alberta-specific resources to support safer, more inclusive communities across our sector.