Having four months of summer break seems ridiculously long, but also well deserved after the dreadful eight months of schooling we have to face. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean we should spend those four months sitting in our beds watching Netflix all day, no matter how much we want to. Keep reading and I will share some new and cool places you can volunteer at in Toronto this summer. Gain some experience, make new friends and make the most of the break!
There is an endless array of sites to find volunteer opportunities in the GTA, such as Volunteer Toronto, which is incredibly user friendly. Volunteer Toronto offers a large search engine that you can tailor to your needs. Volunteer opportunities on the site range from culinary assistants to working as a peer tutor. Whatever it is you want to try to explore this summer, Volunteer Toronto makes it that much easier!
Here is are some seasonal volunteer positions that are sure to catch your eye:
Festival Volunteer
Source: Volunteer Toronto
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary festival and conference. An outstanding selection of over 200 cutting-edge documentaries from Canada and around the world are presented each year to Toronto audiences. So what can you do there? They have two open positions for volunteers. Theater volunteers are ideal for outgoing and personable volunteers who are comfortable managing large crowds. You could apply for ticket scanner, which requires you to be tech-savvy, but don’t worry – Hot Docs provides additional mandatory training sessions. Not loving this yet? It gets better! The main benefit is that for every shift you work, you will receive a voucher. The longer the shift, the more vouchers you will receive! A voucher entitles you to redeem:
1 ticket to any 2018 Hot Docs Festival screening, entry to 1 Hot Doc conference session, 1 medium popcorn and 1 medium fountain drink during or after the festival, 1 ticket to a 18/19 Doc Soup screening or 1 ticket to a regular Hot Docs Cinema screening year-round!
Volunteer Junior Accountant
Source: Technovation Academy of Science and Technology
More into business? Technovation Academy of Science and Technology (TAST) provides young students hands-on experience in the business world. TAST aims to provide a learning experience that promotes skills in leadership, ingenuity and community engagement and thereby fostering talent, personal interests, problem solving skills and self-empowerment. TAST provides innovative and
practical engineering, math and technology enrichment programs to children and youth in grades 5-8, across the GTA. Some of your roles in this position will include managing accounting duties including bookkeeping, payroll, banking and budgeting management for day-to-day operations.
Food Drive Volunteer
Source: ScarboroughRosewoodFD
Scarborough Rosewood Food Drive has a dedicated team of volunteers with a mission to end hunger and poverty in Scarborough through provision (food drives), education (public/school presentations) and action (fundraising). Your week will be divided by days, Wednesdays and Thursdays are 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., where volunteers deliver information flyers to residents’ homes and inform residents about the food drive. Saturday and Sunday are to pick up food donations. Help out your community this summer by giving back!
Foster Carer for Cats and Kittens
Photo via: ActionVolunteertsForAnimals
Did you know that volunteering can include taking care of cute little kittens all summer? Well, it can! Action Volunteers for Animals (AVA) is an organization looking for foster parents for their baby kittens! Their animals come from shelters, the streets, cat colonies and very occasionally surrenders. The goal is to place all these cats into forever homes, and so they need a foster home care provider who can look after an animal on a temporary basis until they are ready for adoption. Fostering can be short term (about two weeks) or long term (up to six months); however, 2-8 weeks is average, depending on the animals and their needs. Cats are promoted online and find homes through adoption centers, word of mouth and social media. AVA is responsible for all veterinary care. They also provide food for all of their foster homes and litter. All they ask is to foster and provide space, love and care for the animal.
Restaurant Service Judge
Source: Skills Ontario
Volunteering to eat all summer? Sign me up! Be part of Canada’s largest skilled trades and technology competition! The Skills Ontario Competition is entering its 29th year and taking place at the Toronto Congress Centre. The Restaurant Service Competition is open to both secondary and post-secondary students from across the province as they come and compete against the best of the best in this one-day contest. Winners are also granted cash awards! These awards financially assist competitors to continue pursuing their careers. Your responsibility will be to assist the Technical Committee in judging competitors’ performance at tasks such as table dressing, serving guests, preparing beverages, clearing and cleaning, as well as preparing Health and Safety regulations. The competition runs from May 7th to May 8th, so you may choose to volunteer for one day or both days.
Volunteering doesn’t have to be a chore; instead, it can be quite the adventure! Step out of your comfort zone this summer by checking out any of the volunteering options available to you all over the GTA. Make the most of your four-month vacation by helping out your community and keeping busy!