Twitter Essentials for Non-Profits

The following post was written by our Manager, Training and Outreach Leanna Hill. We are so happy to be welcoming her back to our team after her year away on maternity leave.

Just a week back from my year long maternity leave, and I find my Twitter skills have become a bit “rusty”. As I prepare to write this blog post,  I head to our Volunteer Victoria Hootsuite account and try to post a tweet…It’s harder than I think it will be! Trying to apply what I’ve learned in the past, I search for “non-profits” to figure out what the current hashtag (#) naming convention is.

Does this all sound vaguely familiar, but confusing? Is it utter gibberish to you? Are you on the verge of entering the Twitter-sphere? Maybe you’ve signed up for a Twitter account for your organization, but haven’t yet gotten much out of it. Maybe you’re just thinking about it.

The truth is, Twitter is here to stay (well, in social media terms, anyways) and it’s actually pretty useful once you get going.

Twitter is used by non-profits in a number of ways – to engage supporters, share successes and stories, find relevant resources, and to support other non-profits. Of course, the outcomes are what we’re interested in when investing in a new tool. Will Twitter bring in donors? Will it help you find volunteers or attendees? Well, yes. If used correctly. 

What our organization has found, and is backed up by what other social media bloggers say,  is that Twitter is a tool that supports and builds relationships and information sharing. It doesn’t replace a fundraising or marketing strategy, but it certainly can support one. There is a knack to using Twitter, and the scene is regularly shifting, but once you learn the basics it makes a lot more sense (and can even be fun!).

If you could use some hands-on learning about Twitter, we’re happy to be offering a Twitter Essentials for Non-Profits workshop on Saturday, October 19th from 1:00pm-4:30pm. Check out our website for more information and to see some of the tweets that help us to build community: www.volunteervictoria.bc.ca


Rediscovering Myself Through Volunteering

In July 2013, Volunteer Victoria’s Youth Program hosted the first Community Youth Leadership Summit! Part of the week was reflecting on volunteering, the community, and the Summit in the format of a blog post. Kathy was one of our awesome participants who put her feelings, thoughts, and ideas into a great blog post for us to share with you!

My name is Kathy, I’m sixteen years old, and I recently participated in this year’s Community Youth Leadership Summit at Volunteer Victoria. This week has really opened my eyes to the entire world of volunteerism that is located right in Victoria and gave me the confidence and encouragement to keep volunteering.

 Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved making the people around me smile. Whether it was by holding a door for a stranger, handing out candy at Halloween, or simply cracking a joke,  I always found ways to make someone’s day a little brighter.  a person’s beaming face was a sight I could never become tired of.

 As I started growing up however, helping others became less and less a priority. Especially starting high school, I felt like I was exposed to a new world. I was introduced to the idea of “fitting in” and I started thinking about of myself and what others thought. During my time immersed in my self centered world, I knew in the back of my mind I wasn’t being my true self.

 It wasn’t until grade ten that I truly understood the impact of volunteerism. I unexpectedly found myself in a leadership position leading a grade retreat for a group of elementary schools aged youth. So, a group of my classmates and I started preparing for the day of the retreat and it gave me the opportunity to get to know more of my peers who had the same love for helping others. I was overcome with enthusiasm and fulfillment from being part of a team working together to deliver a lively retreat.

 The entire retreat was full of singing, playing, and laughing. I remember looking out at all of the kids and seeing so many genuine smiles. I quickly realized that I had a lot of power– the power to bring light into other people’s lives. In those moments, I knew that I was being my true self, the best version of myself.

 Through my experience, I learned that volunteering is a way to bring me back to my true self and it helped me balance my priorities at the same time. I used volunteering as a tool to help me rediscover myself by bringing out the good qualities I always had within me. Seeing the joy of everyone around me and knowing that I was a part of it drives me to continue helping others today.


The Art and Science of Leading Volunteers: Digging Deeper, Learning and Sharing

The following post was written by our Manager, Training and Outreach, Leanna Hill. On October 1st we are thrilled to be welcoming Leanna back after her one year maternity leave.

Inspiring someone to give their best. Knowing who needs to be where, when. Remembering who’s about to graduate, and whose son’s getting married, or who needs a special ‘thanks’. Being one step ahead – a cheerleader, a mediator, a coach; ultimately supporting an organization’s ability to thrive and achieve its mission. The people who support and lead volunteers fill big shoes.

If you work in the non-profit sector, I can safely say you’ve worked alongside a volunteer (after all, every non-profit is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors).

If you’ve been to a non-profit hosted special event (like the Fringe Festival, Film Festival, Tea Festival, Buskers Festival etc…), you’ve probably been welcomed and served by a volunteer.

From front lines to behind the scenes, when volunteers show up it’s because someone has made it easy for them to do so. It takes organizational skills, people skills, communication skills, hard work and a sense of humour to effectively engage volunteers. Coordinating, managing, leading volunteers – however you say it – there’s an art and a science to it.

Beth Cougler Blom and I are thrilled to be co-teaching Volunteer Victoria’s Leading Volunteers: Foundations in Volunteer Management course again this year, starting October 30th, 2013. 

Our goal is to connect leaders of volunteers to the tools, policies, networks and philosophies that underpin strong practices of volunteer management through interactive and participant-led discussion and assignments.

This blended learning course (one day in person and 4 weeks online) gives participants an opportunity to delve into what makes an exceptional and effective leader of volunteers today: from the tools of the trade to the most up-to-date policies and practices.

Past participants have run the gamut of experience: from long standing coordinators of volunteers; to folks who lead volunteers as a small sliver of their daily responsibilities; to volunteers themselves who want to increase the effectiveness of their volunteer-based groups. Participant response to the newly revised course has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to another successful session.

People are what bring an organization’s mission to life. When volunteers are well supported, and able to share their talents to the best of their abilities, organizations can accomplish great things.

For more information or to sign up, check out our website or give us at call at 250-386-2269.

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Previously offered as the “Overview of Volunteer Management” this newly developed and enhanced course is offered in a blended learning model, consisting of one day in person and four weeks online.

Participants will learn to plan a successful volunteer program; recruit and screen potential volunteers; orient, train, supervise and recognize volunteers effectively within their program; and evaluate and market their program effectively.

Note: A limited number of $200 bursaries are available to Volunteer Victoria agency members in good standing. Please see the Bursary Information Sheet for more details.

 


Steps to Volunteer: A Youth’s Perspective.

In July 2013, Volunteer Victoria’s Youth Program hosted the first Community Youth Leadership Summit! Part of the week was reflecting on volunteering, the community, and the Summit in the format of a blog post. Eva was one of our awesome participants who put her feelings, thoughts, and ideas into a great blog post for us to share with you!

My name is Eva, I’m fifteen years old and I was a participant in Volunteer Victoria’s Community Youth Leadership Summit. During our time at the summit, we learned key tips and tricks for developing our cover letters and resumes, analyzing job posts, and being interviewed in a professional manner. We also became certified in CPR A, took a stroll through downtown learning about Victoria’s not-for-profits on United Way’s Impact tour and did some hands on volunteering at the Rainbow Kitchen Association, painting and cleaning their storage areas.

Oh, and we had lots of fun doing it!

This is what volunteerism should be about. I’m happy to offer my time, skills and effort to a cause in which I have found a passion.  I like to think of volunteerism as an exchange. Sure, you aren’t being paid for your work in money, but there is so much to get out of volunteering, and that’s part of the reason that makes volunteering an ideal activity for everyone. Whether you’re doing it for school credit, to learn something new, to share existing skills, to feel part of a community, for recognition, to become well rounded, to be an agent of change, to build your resume, to explore a career… the possibilities are endless. And volunteering can also be used as a stepping-stone for paid work in the not-for-profit sector, as demonstrated by our dedicated Youth Team coordinators, Julia-Anne and Julena.

You also should never feel bad for receiving recognition for your work, and while it shouldn’t be the only reason you began volunteering, it’s always nice to be recognized for doing something you love.

I go to St. Michael’s University School, and you better believe they keep you busy there: advanced placement classes, tests and homework. Not to mention other extra curricular activities like clubs, councils, sports teams, and fundraiser. And the thing is, I love it. I love to keep busy, I thrive in a fast-paced environment where I can do the things I love. My ideal volunteer position would be in an engaging environment where you can bring your own creativity and experiences to the table.

 What are the steps towards volunteering? It’s no picnic. The benefits, however, make volunteer an experience that you will never regret!

 Discover yourself. Who am I? What kind of volunteer am I? What are your passions? How do you approach a problem? How do you prefer to work? The answers to these questions could help you discover the most rewarding volunteer opportunity.

 Consider what your passions are, and what skills you have to offer. This will help you choose where you want to volunteer. If your passion is with animals, try volunteering at a local rescue shelter. If you’re passionate about literacy you can volunteer at the library, or become a tutor or peer note taker.

Of course, you can develop new skills and learn many things by volunteering, but your volunteer work can still be compatible with your interests. I, for example, am passionate about social justice issues, specifically aboriginal and women’s issues. Thus, I considered volunteering at the Didi Society – geared towards empowering women and children through fair trade – through their markets, or helping our at Restorative Justice Victoria. If it’s something you love, make it your own and feel good sharing your skills and passion.

 Start small. If you’re like me and already have a busy schedule, volunteering your time for an hour or two per week is a great way to get started without becoming discouraged or overwhelmed. The amount of change you can create in such a short time might surprise you. Then, if you find you enjoy the work and have more time to pursue it, you can gradually take on more and bring your own personal flair to your work. Try not to get pressured into volunteering, or taking on too much. If it stops being rewarding and starts being a chore, back off or take a break.

 Get to know others. Through your volunteer work, you’ll build a network of people who have similar goals and passions as you, who all come from different backgrounds and have different skills. Getting to know the people with whom you volunteer is one of the best parts of volunteerism. You could attend a training or orientation session, if one is available; if not, talk to local group leaders and other volunteers in the community about their experiences. You’ll learn what to expect of an organization and your work with it, and you’ll pick up some good tips to make your work there more productive and more meaningful.

 Don’t become discouraged. Like in any real-world situation, volunteering can have its ups and downs. Sometimes, the tasks aren’t always glamorous, but know that even painting a room can benefit an organization. When our group was finished our job, our clothes were covered in paint but we were still proud. Imagine if it had only been the church staff painting that room, it would have taken forever! But with our help, they will be able to rent it out to make more money on the side to support the Rainbow Kitchen Association and the work they do.

 HAVE FUN! This seems like a no-brainer, but always remember to love what you do. You’ll be more productive, and your enthusiasm will inspire others to follow their passions and help their communities.


Introduction to Volunteer Victoria’s Community Youth Leadership Summit

 “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change this world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”  – Margret Mead

 I was reminded of this quote in so many ways this year during the first week of summer. Not only is it a personal favourite – I have it on a sticky note on my laptop – but it truly encompassed the energy and enthusiasm of Volunteer Victoria’s Community Youth Leadership Summit participants to a T. Regardless of whether the youth were on the United Way’s Impact Tour or engaging in a round table discussion about human rights as they relate to interview questions, I kept finding myself thinking, these kids are going places.

 Here at Volunteer Victoria the Youth Team works in a variety of ways to help youth throughout Greater Victoria connect to their community through meaningful and strategic volunteering. What is strategic volunteering you might find yourself wondering? Essentially it’s walking the delicate balance beam of receiving as much as you give through volunteering; the best of both worlds. While volunteering in and of its self is an amazing gift and something we at Volunteer Victoria strive to promote both professionally and personally, we also believe you should leave feeling rewarded for your hard work and dedication. In a lot of life’s facets this would come in the form of a cheque, a dollar amount to show appreciation for your time and energy. However, in volunteering the benefits can look like a multitude of things and finding the one that suits your needs the best is a goal the Youth Team aims to meet. For example, some volunteer for the outstanding training agencies can provide, others for free admission into events or festivals, and some give to their community through organizations that have helped those around them. Despite the fact these benefits will look different for everyone and mean something unique to each volunteer, there is a constant –any one you choose or need the Youth Team can help get you there.

Easy. Right? That’s what we thought too.

 Throughout the Youth Team’s involvement in the community we have noticed the benefits and rewards to volunteering that we think are strategic (volunteering at a hospital to increase your application to med school and knowledge of health care) are sometimes being lost in the race to complete a set amount of hours in order to graduate. While the completion of this is important, we have started to see youth volunteer in amazing ways at a variety of places but only reap the numerical hour value from their work rather than the life skills and knowledge they have gained in addition. The need for practical hands-on training regarding the volunteer sector:  how to get involved purposefully and how to present these educational pieces of wealth in a professional way became apparent. In an effort to meet this Volunteer Victoria created the Community Youth Leadership Summit – a week long program aimed to give greater meaning to the word ‘volunteer’ by not only showing youth how volunteering can enhance their skills and help in achieving their dreams but how to excel at showcasing their attributes through workshops, presentations and volunteering.  

We were so fortunate to work with 10 outstanding youth who really exemplified Margret Mead’s words through their dedication to the process and their willingness to learn and challenge themselves both individually, as a group, and in the community at large. Part of the program involved the opportunity to write a blog post for Volunteer Victoria, this is simply the introduction to the incredible literature to come.

 These youth reminded us within the Youth Team that the work we do collectively, both within our office and as a community, for youth matters. The ripple effect these youth who ‘graduated’ from this program will have locally and globally, in our minds, will be instrumental. Their ideas and opinions are relevant, important and meaningful. They will change this world, we just were lucky enough to help along the way.

 So here’s to them, the 10 fantastic youth who took a week from their sun-filled summers to work with us in learning how they can walk that balance beam in the not-for-profit sector, how they can have the best of both worlds, and how they can highlight themselves for the outstanding emerging leaders they are. They are pretty wonderful and we hope you enjoy getting to see a glimpse of each one through their writing. Thank you Cammy, Sara, Leah, Melody, Brooke, Eva, Holly, Kathy, Angus and Hisashi, you made the start of our summer the best week yet. 


In Focus: Victoria Fringe Festival

tarinaphotoTarina White is an award-winning journalist who has written for print and digital media in Canada and abroad, including the National Post, the Calgary Herald, the Calgary Sun, the Victoria News, festivalseekers.com, The Cairns Post and news.com.au in Australia. She lives in Victoria, B.C. with her husband and loveable lab and works as a freelance writer, editor and communications consultant. She volunteers her talents at Volunteer Victoria.

 

Miss Hiccup from Japan entertains with colourful comedy.

Miss Hiccup from Japan entertains with colourful comedy.

Thespians from around the world will descend on Victoria this month to entertain audiences with a wide variety of musicals, comedies, dramas and more.

With more than 200 performances over 10 days, the Victoria Fringe Festival is Vancouver Island’s biggest annual theatre event. It’s casual, cheap and accessible – a great way to see a lot of cool live theatre from around the world.

In its 27th season, Intrepid Theatre’s Fringe Festival is one of Victoria’s most popular and enduring summer traditions and offers something for everyone.

Returning this year after very popular runs in the past are international artists Miss Hiccup, a Japanese performer who entertains with physical humour of a clownish sort, and The Birdmann, an Australian part stand-up comic, part circus act.

Local favourites Paper Street Theatre, under the direction of Dave Morris, are bringing An Improvised Quentin Tarantino to the festival.

Vancouver’s Monster Theatre is bringing a new show to the Fringe after a sold-out run of The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth at the spring UNO Festival. This time around Bruce Horak is delivering Assassinating Thomson.

The Birdmann from Australia is part-comic, part-circus act.

The Birdmann from Australia is part-comic, part-circus act.

“These shows are in addition to all the other great artists and shows; it really is a terrific line up this year,” Intrepid Theatre production assistant Jenson Kerr says.

Fringe Festival is made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers, says Jenson, who is also the festival’s volunteer coordinator.

“The festival requires a small army of 250 volunteers to make it function,” he says.

“Since 100 per cent of the box office revenue goes back into the pockets of the artists, we rely on our volunteers’ amazing generosity and spirit to make things work.” 

Victoria resident Kat Campbell has volunteered at the Fringe Festival for more than 10 years.

“The Fringe for me is like a family, complete with supportive parents, loving siblings, and crazy in-laws who can’t stop puppeteering,” she says.

“I’ve met best friends, future employers and boyfriends, all the while having a fulfilling personal and artistic experience.”

Fringe volunteers assist with everything from the box office, technical support, promotions, the info kiosk and more. Volunteers enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks and also earn a pass to see a free show for every shift worked.

Volunteer orientation sessions will be held August 6 and 7. To sign up or to find out more, visit our volunteer page, call 250-383-2663 or email volunteer@intrepidtheatre.com

QUICK INFO
WHAT: 27th Annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival
WHEN: August 22 – September 1
WHERE: Multiple venues throughout Victoria

 


In Focus: 2013 Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival

tarinaphoto

Tarina White is an award-winning journalist who has written for print and digital media in Canada and abroad, including the National Post, the Calgary Herald, the Calgary Sun, the Victoria News, festivalseekers.com, The Cairns Post and news.com.au in Australia. She lives in Victoria, B.C. with her husband and loveable lab and works as a freelance writer, editor and communications consultant. She volunteers her talents at Volunteer Victoria.

 

Dragon boat racers sporting pink in support of the BC Cancer Foundation.

Dragon boat racers sport pink in support of the BC Cancer Foundation.

Victoria’s picturesque Inner Harbour will soon transform into a friendly battleground for dragon boat teams vying for victory.

The 2013 Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival takes place August 16-18 at Ship Point in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. In its 19th year, the festival has long been a local summer favourite that fuses Asian culture, the competitive thrill of racing, delicious food and live entertainment. It’s also a family-friendly, fun-filled event that helps raise money for the BC Cancer Foundation.

These are among the many reasons why dedicated festival volunteers like Kathy Cropp sign up year after year to lend a hand. Kathy is among 500 volunteers who will pitch in this year to help make the festival a success.

“Volunteering at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival is fun,” she says.

“I have met lots of interesting people at previous events – organizers, paddlers, other volunteers and spectators. The event is well organized, the participants are appreciative, the weather is good – usually – the location is beautiful and everyone has a good time.”

Ross Copeland is another Victoria resident who eagerly signs up each year.

“For me, volunteering for the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival is awesome. It’s a way to contribute to a great community. More importantly it’s a way to connect with awesome people, whether fellow volunteers, participants or spectators,” he says.

“It’s great to be part of the energy, the fun, the entertainment the festival generates and knowing that you contributed to the excitement that others felt.”  

Volunteers are a vital component of the three-day festival.

Volunteers are a vital component of the three-day festival.

Volunteers help with almost every kind of task, from greeting visitors at the information tent to helping paddlers into and out of the dragon boats, festival coordinator Sarah Smith says.

“Volunteers are key to putting on a successful event. Really, we could not hold the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival without them. We recently calculated that we use around 500 volunteers who put in more than 5000 hours over the course of the year, including around 4000 hours put in over those four big days in August alone,” she says.

“Like most Victoria events we operate with a very small staff, and so our volunteer team is critical to the success of the Festival.  We’re very fortunate to have the support of so many incredible volunteers.”

In addition to the rewarding experience of working at the festival, volunteers also receive free refreshments and snacks, a lunch, a dry-fit t-shirt, and an invitation to the volunteer appreciation event after the festival weekend.

Volunteer shifts are 4-6 hours and include positions in the beer garden, decoration crew, environment crew, event safety, paddler’s experience crew, kids tent, information tent, and more. Volunteer orientation will be held on July 29 and 31, but volunteers will be accepted beyond those dates.

For more info, visit our volunteer page, email volunteer@victoriadragonboat.com or call (250) 704-2500. 

QUICK INFO
What:
2013 Canada Dry Victoria Dragon Boat Festival
When: August 16-18
Where: Ship Point in Victoria’s Inner Harbour


Volunteer Victoria’s Youth Team Recognizes Nicole Liu

This post is written by Julena Breel , Youth Placement Support Worker at Volunteer Victoria

National Volunteer Week, this year spanning from April 21st – April 27th, is all about volunteer recognition. It’s a celebration of the commitment, dedication and passion volunteers give our country and communities daily.

In 1943 this week was created to celebrate Canadian women who gave tremendous and imperative war-related efforts from the home-front. 71 years later the reasons to say thanks are vaster than ever. From campaigners to graphic designers to board members, volunteer positions encompass them all. In 2010 Stats Canada estimated that over half of Canadians volunteer their time yearly. That’s over 17 million people generously giving back to charities and causes they believe in! Pat yourself on the back Canada, that’s phenomenal.

Here at Volunteer Victoria we are extremely lucky to be surrounded by a group of volunteers whose time is vital for our organization and whose positive demeanors uplift our office daily. National Volunteer Week is important,  so the Youth Volunteer Connections Program, on behalf of Volunteer Victoria, wishes to use this opportunity to express gratitude to one of their extraordinary volunteers: Nicole Liu.

Nicole is going on her third year volunteering at Volunteer Victoria and in doing so has become a critical team player in the office. Nicole  started volunteering with the Youth Volunteer Connections Program in 2010 doing data entry and short term project support. Throughout the years she has provided invaluable feedback to the program by participating in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of YVCP, generating surveys, and interviewing new staff hires.

Nicole speaks with enthusiasm regarding her growth within the agency saying, “I have developed skills that include increased responsibility, multi-tasking, working independently and written and oral communication”. It speaks to Nicole’s organizational strength and time management skill set that she took on additional volunteer capacities during the transition of Volunteer Victoria’s Manager of Training and Outreach.

Nicole will be graduating this year from Mount Douglas Secondary and has decided to pursue her studies with the University of Victoria starting in September. Although the career field is ripe with opportunity Nicole wants to take this time to learn about as many routes as possible before declaring a major. Here at Volunteer Victoria we’re not only thrilled she’s doing what makes her happy but we’re ecstatic that this so happens to be in Victoria! She’s a one of a kind lady, filled with creative ideas, a supportive attitude and a desire to constantly learn and be challenged.

According to Victoria Foundation’s Youth 2012 Vital Signs, Nicole joins the 53% of youth aged 15-24 who volunteer in our community. Those youth, alongside the adult volunteers who also give their time tirelessly, are what make Victoria one of the greatest places to call home. It’s truly the people who give back as much as they get from the capital of BC that make our city shine.

On behalf of Volunteer Victoria, to all of those who give their time locally and globally, thank you. We appreciate and value you tremendously. An unknown author once said, “There is no “I” in team but we sure are glad there is “U” in our volunteers.” We couldn’t agree more.

 


Project Serve

This blog post is written by Julia-Anne Cameron, Volunteer Victoria’s Youth Volunteer Connections Program Coordinator

As the Youth Volunteer Connections Program (YVCP) Coordinator one of the highlights of my job is creating connections between young people ages 15-29 and our Member Agencies. The YVCP team strives to find volunteers who can support agencies and also learn, grow, and network as individuals in the process. It boils down to the old saying, there are two sides on a street –YVCP aims to support them both.

A prime example of this is a recent and exciting partnership between Volunteer Victoria’s YVCP and the University of Victoria’s Residence Life and Education Division. Robin Copestake, Coordinator of Residence Education, approached us in the beginning of the year with “Project Serve Day”. According to Robin, Project Serve Day is “a way to introduce students to Community Service Learning: an educational practice of volunteering framed by critical reflection on community, impact and citizenship.” For agencies, the opportunity to have eager volunteers show up for an afternoon of helping behind the scenes is obviously hugely beneficial to their staff, clients, and the greater community. This ripple effect is what students were asked to reflect upon during a facilitated reflection process at the end of Project Serve Day.

shirt photo

The fantastic shirts that all the students wore were designed by a Project Serve participant!

On March 16th, 2013 the pilot for Project Serve Day took place. On an incredibly wet and grey Saturday morning, my colleague Julena and I arrived at the University to find a room full of over 75 enthusiastic and energetic residence students  excited to begin connecting in their new community by volunteering at one of participating Member Agencies. The response rate from agencies to participate in Project Serve Day was incredibly high; the agencies were chosen on a first come first serve basis as well as the ability to offer a variety of opportunities for the students. UVic Alumni Association, Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health, Aberdeen Hospital (VIHA), Saanich Pulling Together, Woodwyn Farms, Fairfield Gonzales Community Association, and Creatively United for the Planet hosted a number of students to complete a variety of tasks including: data entry, equipment organizing, removing invasive plan species, garbage clean-up, binding ivy, and much more.

The residence volunteers were absolutely amazing. At every site we visited, Julena and I followed the sound of laughter and story telling to find the volunteers. Despite the miserable weather that began the day, the volunteers found the rays of sunshine and made it a positive learning experience.

saanich pulling together

Saanich Pulling Together Volunteer Site

Brit Walton, a participating student at Fairfield Gonzales Community Association stated that “a lot of us aren’t from this region, so learning what goes on in our community, and finding out resources we have in our city is great.” When asked how they were finding the strong, cold winds, fellow residence volunteer Liam McDonald genuinely added that, “it builds character!”

At the Aberdeen Hospital site, Jas Randhawa explained she felt “extremely excited to work with these residence volunteers to help the hospital organize their wheelchairs and other equipment…A lot of work takes place behind the scenes and sometimes the nitty gritty goes unnoticed. This is our way of showing our appreciation for their hard work and making sure that we can help them in any way.”

Aberdeen Hospital Volunteer Site

Aberdeen Hospital Volunteer Site

This pilot event was a huge success for both the Residence Life and Education Division and Volunteer Victoria. We are already planning the next event, which is scheduled to be taking place this September, and hopefully every September after that!

CBC Radio did an interview the day prior to Project Serve Day. Listen to it here!

**If you are an agency interested in participating keep your eye out for an agency request email in the summer. If you have questions, please direct them to Julia-Anne Cameron, Youth Program Coordinator at Volunteer Victoria 250.386.2269 Julia-Anne@volunteervictoria.bc.ca


Invitation to Submit Projects

Volunteer Victoria invites submissions from member agencies for REALnet projects. REALnet offers an opportunity to have an executive level volunteer or team of volunteers carry out a much needed project or address an organizational challenge in your non-profit.

The areas where our available REALnet members offer expertise at this particular time are board development, program assessment, database development and implementation of information management systems, human resource management, conflict coaching / resolution and communication, facilitation, strategic planning, and governance.

As highlighted by the Executive Director of an agency helped by REALnet in 2012:

“Thanks for making this possible.  We would not have been able to afford these professional services and it will really make a difference to our organization and to our clients.  I am confident that the resulting Strategic Plan will also open a number of funder doors for us as well.”

To submit your project concept, please complete the RealNet Project Application and return it to Lisa Mort-Putland at lisa@volunteervictoria.bc.ca Our team of executive leaders has capacity for 3 or 4 projects at this time.

If you would like further information about REALnet or have any questions about the attached application form please don’t hesitate to contact us at 250-386-2269.