Canada Community Volunteer

During your placement, you will gain an invaluable experience, working and living amongst the people of Canada, thus obtaining an insight into this beautiful country and the culture of its local communities.

Project Age Limit
Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health.

The Volunteer Programme
Through this programme, you will have the opportunity to work in and around the beautiful city of Victoria, British Columbia (only 40kms from the eclectic city of Vancouver) or in Vancouver itself. You can choose from a wide range of projects, including teaching, healthcare, HIV/AIDS awareness and education, environmental and nature projects, or fine arts and cultural organisations in Canada.

To help us arrange the most suitable volunteer project for you, we will need to know which areas most interest you, what experience you have working in these areas and what you are hoping to get out of your volunteer programme.

We will then be able to arrange a volunteer project in Victoria, or nearby, to suit your interests and background. The main types of project work are listed below with an outline of some of the duties that you may be involved in.

Option 5 - Creating your own volunteer project
As well as being able to offer you the volunteer options outlined on the overview page, we can also find a project in the general fields below or based on your hobbies, previous skills or employment. This way we can ensure you the perfect volunteer placement for your gap year abroad.

Environment & Nature Programmes
These programmes, available near Victoria, cover a wide variety of placements from working with community education to flora and fauna conservation projects.

If you are interested in joining a volunteer project to conserve the local environment, your skills and time will be used to protect plants, animals, natural communities and landscape features that represent the diversity of life.

Volunteers will be involved in protecting areas of scientific, historical, cultural and scenic value by working with office staff, legal, real estate advisors and field crews. You may also be involved in working in local tearooms and gift shops that raise money for this conservation effort.

Alternatively you can get your hands dirty and participate in gardening projects or even volunteer at a compost education centre. Gardening projects will use volunteers to cultivate awareness and initiate action around food, health and urban sustainability in Greater Victoria. You will work proactively to promote and create personal, shared and community gardens; research educational activities and youth skills development projects.

Social Service Programmes
These placements will involve volunteers with AIDS education, or general community outreach. Long-term volunteers can consider working to provide comprehensive, accessible and effective education, prevention, care, treatment and support services to residents of Vancouver Island that suffer with HIV/AIDS.

Volunteers will involve themselves with education, support of affected persons and advocate on their behalf.

Community Outreach volunteers will work with hundreds of Canadian volunteers to greet young and old, affluent and not-so-affluent, newcomers and old-timers as family. This placement allows volunteers to challenge themselves, use their skills and be of great service to others through work with street entrenched youth, lower-income families and women in transitions.

Health, Therapy & Recreation Programmes
These schemes are aimed at providing disabled Canadian citizens with leisure opportunities and rehabilitation opportunities.

Volunteers will be assisting disabled Canadians with participation in community recreation and leisure opportunities of their choice. Services you will provide include: information, referrals, leisure planning and resource services to the community.

Alternatively, you can choose to be involved with a specific activity, geared to disabled Canadians, such as a sailing academy, or a horse riding therapy centre.

Sailing academy volunteers will be assisting with the rehabilitation of youth at risk, or those with disabilities, through sport and recreational sailing, by providing social interaction, leadership and guidance in a controlled, supervised and safe manner. Volunteers must be familiar and at ease with sailing.

Horse Therapy volunteers will provide disabled children between the ages of 6 and 13 with a fantastic experience on horseback. Volunteers must be easy around horses and children and of reasonable fitness as you will be walking alongside the horses and supporting each rider. This project is ideal for long-term volunteers from September to June.

Education Programmes
In the past 100 years immigration to Canada has steadily risen. Canada now has a number of cultural populations (especially on the Western coast) that are in constant need of help integrating into society. Volunteers can get involved by promoting cultural understanding and helping to alleviate racism through public education. If you have a keen interest in languages and different cultures this project would be suitable for you.

Alternatively volunteers can spend time helping to teach English as a second language, home tutoring, aiding new citizens in job coaching and settlement programmes.

Fine Arts & Culture Programmes
Victoria has some great historical sites that are in constant need of volunteers to run them. You can volunteer in art galleries, castles and even historic tearooms. Volunteers need to be able to work with visitors, enjoy meeting people and sharing new, interesting facts and must be outgoing.

Other Projects
Victoria has a great need for volunteers in many different roles. If you have not found a project listed above that suits your interests please contact us, as we may be able to find you a more suitable and individual volunteer project.

Projects often require volunteers 30-40 hours per week. You will have 2 days off each week. If you would like to join a volunteer project working fewer hours please contact us, as some projects can reduce your hours to 15-20 per week.

Project Support
Throughout your stay in British Columbia, Canada you will have the support and guidance of the staff onsite. They will provide you with competent assistance and help you with any questions, or advice you may need during your stay.

Before you depart, we will provide you with a contact number for onsite staff and a 24-hour emergency contact number, so that you can contact one of our UK staff in an emergency should you need to.

Project Orientation
All volunteers will arrive into Victoria on a Sunday. On your second day (Monday) you will make your way to our Victoria offices for a full orientation to the programme. The offices are located downtown, directly across from the main shopping area of Victoria. If you are volunteering in Vancouver you will need to attend your full orientation in Victoria and the following day make your way back to Vancouver for your volunteer programme.

Your orientation will provide you with the contact details of your volunteer project and the person in charge. You will also be given a bus schedule and details of the exact route you need to take from your accommodation to your project each day. Bus tickets can be purchased at the office during your orientation (monthly tickets available for CAN$65, approx. £28).

You will be taken to your volunteer site and have a mini “interview” with the project coordinator. This is simply a way for the volunteer manager to get to know you before you begin work. You will also be given a tour of the facility and you receive your volunteer schedule.

Visa
To volunteer in Canada you will require a volunteer visa. This visa is included in your package and will be completed for you.

Please note: Visas take 8 weeks to process. If you book your programme within 8 weeks of departure you will travel on a tourist visa.