KW SVO: The City of Kitchener

The City of Kitchener offers highschool students a very unique way to volunteer. It is unlike any other organisation, especially in the unlimited ways that it can help you to customize your volunteer experience. Many students enjoy volunteering with the City of Kitchener because they can make their experience their own.

The neatest thing about volunteering with the City of Kitchener is that you do not need to have a specific volunteer position in mind when you contact them, or you could have a very specific idea of something new that you would like to do. The set opportunities vary from community center to community center, so you may want to drop by your nearest center to see what programs they run. One program that highschool students could assist with is the Youth drop-in. Students could help the staff to run the events. Another great opportunity for students is KYAC (Kitchener Youth Action Council) (for more information on KYAC, please see the KYAC blog post). If you don’t have a specific idea for a placement, but would like to work locally at a community center, contact Marla or Dannon (information below), and they can help you out. Now, if you have an idea for en event or a new program that you would like to bring to life and you need assistance, contact Marla or Dannon as well and they can connect you with the right people to develop your idea and to bring it to life!

Volunteers should be open to all sorts of people, they should try to enjoy what they’re doing, they should be open to gaining new skills and they should be committed. If you are going to develop your own event/program you need to be committed to seeing it through. If you are volunteering with one of the City of Kitchener’s programs, then you must be committed to that program. The levels of commitment do vary depending on the job, as does the application process. Some positions require an interview (e.g. a position where you work with younger children would require an interview before you can begin your job). To begin any application process though, simply send an email (listed below) to get the ball rolling. Then for some positions, there is some basic training on safety, legislation, getting to know your environment, etc, but it’s not too long.

Depending on the opportunity, you may be able to volunteer with your friends and the location of your placement can be in many different spots. There are many community centers in the area and different positions available at each. You need to contact Marla, Dannon or your local community center to discover a good position for you (and there are many positions – it’s just so varied that you must decide on a location and then find the job).

In conclusion, the City of Kitchener is what you make of it. If you have no idea what you would like to volunteer as, we first recommend that you go to www.volunteerkw.ca and try to find an opportunity there. However, if that does not work, or you would like to be involved with a City of Kitchener program, or you want to start something new, then do contact Marla or Dannon.