Get Volunteering! It's National Volunteer Week

According to Volunteer Canada, “Volunteering is the most fundamental act of citizenship and philanthropy in our society.” Statistics Canada reports that Canadians volunteered nearly 2.1 billion hours in 2010. Were you one of them? Now is your chance—it’s National Volunteer Week here in Canada!

Why volunteer?
Volunteering feels great and is great for the community—it’s a win-win! Plus, it’s a myth that volunteering means adding extra obligations to your (likely already-crowded) to-do list; you can commit to a small, manageable task you feel comfortable with, and use skills you already have. In fact, according to Stats Canada, “the highest rates of volunteering were found among Canadians who were younger, were single, married or in a common-law relationship, or had young children at home.”

Need some other reasons to volunteer?

• Get a “helper’s high.” 
• Put skills you have (anything from writing and design to construction or coaching sports) to good use, or develop new ones.
• Build your resume and portfolio, and possibly even develop career connections.
• Get your daily dose of good karma!
• Make new friends. 

Not yet convinced? Check out these stories from Canadian volunteers.

Volunteering opportunities
The opportunities are endless! Whatever you’re passionate about, there’s a chance to put your skills to good use by volunteering. According to Volunteer Canada, here are some examples of sectors that look for volunteers:

• community health care
• heritage and arts
• maintenance of green space (including community gardening and other environmental causes)
• disaster relief
• volunteer firefighting
• minor sports

Another opportunity is “voluntouring”—that’s volunteering abroad, a trend that’s exploding in popularity.   

Get started!
Check out Volunteer Canada for information on how to get started and to find volunteer centres near you. Also check out Get Volunteering, which can connect you with volunteering positions based on your interests and abilities.