Look no further!
Kevin Zhao
40 hours of volunteering can seem like a lot, but if you’re at the right place at the right time, getting your hours can be a fun, meaningful, and fulfilling experience. The key to a successful volunteer experience is to volunteer at a place you want to be, and do something you want to do.
Scroll down for some very popular (and generally enjoyable) volunteer opportunities to get you started!
Pool Pals
Pool Pals is a volunteer program offered by the Town of Oakville and an excellent way to gain hands-on experience and build your resume if you want to be a lifeguard or swim instructor! Your role as a Pool Pal is usually to support lifeguards in teaching swim lessons, including helping with group control, demonstrating certain aquatic skills, and/or assisting children who need extra help.
Qualifications
In order to be a Pool Pal, you need to be at least 13 years old and hold a Bronze Medallion Lifesaving Award or higher. To earn a Bronze Medallion award, you have to either complete a Bronze Medallion course or pass the Bronze Medallion Challenge exam. You can find more information about the course and the exam here. You can also find the things you need to be able to do in order to earn a Bronze Medallion award on the Lifesaving Society’s website here.
Application
Application for Pool Pals is usually open year-round. If you qualify and would like to apply, you should attend a Pool Pals workshop. The Pool Pals workshop is where you can sign up to be a Pool Pal, and also receive an orientation on what your role as a Pool Pal may look like. If you’d like to learn more, click here!
Summer Camp Volunteer
If you’re looking to complete all your 40 volunteer hours all at once, then you should consider volunteering with the Town of Oakville Day Camps! A full attendance every day (from 8AM to 5PM) for a week (5 days) is equivalent to 40 volunteer hours. Your main role as a volunteer is to assist the camp leaders with group control and helping lead games/activities.
Benefits Beyond the Hours
At the end of every day, you will fill out a communications log, where the summer camp leaders will provide you with feedback on what you did well on and what you can improve on, making this a great opportunity for you to learn how to be a good camp leader. Even better, a Camp Leader job position is offered to most volunteers when they turn 15!
What to Bring and Not Bring
Most camps also include swimming, and specialized camps (eg. hockey camps, etc) may require other special equipment. You should look at what your camp will do and bring the appropriate equipment.
For all camps, you should bring lunch; a refillable water bottle; bug spray; a little bit of money; sunscreen, if it’s sunny; and a phone or other device in case you need to contact anyone. However, most camps are tech-free, so you’re encouraged to not use technology during the day.
Application
Most camps are during the Summer Break, but some may also be offered during the Winter Break. If you want to volunteer, you should apply as early as possible (1-2 weeks in advance), as the available volunteer positions usually fill up quickly.
In order to be a volunteer, you will need to attend a Summer Camp Volunteer workshop (about 4 hours in length). You can learn more about the workshop by clicking here.
HMC Tutors
Being a tutor for the Halton Multicultural Council (HMC) is a great opportunity for anyone who is looking to hone their teaching/tutoring skills while assisting newcomers students and English-Language Learners, or just students in general!
How it Will Look
The subjects currently available for tutoring are English, Math, Science, and French. Volunteer tutors can either choose to tutor English Language Learners specifically, or all students in general. All tutoring is done virtually and either on a one-to-one or small group basis. Every volunteer tutor will need to tutor for at least 1 hour per week.
Benefits Beyond the Hours
After volunteering, you will receive a recommendation letter! Orientation and training on important skills that can help you succeed in tutoring will also be provided.
Requirements and Application
In order to be a general tutor, you need to be between 11 and 18 years old. To be an ELL tutor, you need to be at least 16 years old. If you’re 18 years old or older, you also need a police clearance.
To apply, all you need to do is to send your resume and police clearance (if you’re 18 or older) to Arleen Pangan (apangan@hmcconnections.com), if you’re applying to be an ELL tutor; or to Marissa Watson (mwatson@hmcconnections.com), if you’re applying to be a general tutor.
Halton Youth Voices Council
If you’re passionate about connecting with other youth and advocating for youth voices in Halton, then the Halton Youth Voices Council (HYVC) is for you!
The Council is divided into various subcommittees that focus on different issues: Equity and Youth Voices, Health, and Sciences. It also has a backbone team, composed of Council/Team leaders, and other executive members.
Time Commitment & Hours
The HYVC meets virtually once every week as a whole Council. In most meetings, subcommittees would break off to meet in their own small groups, after some general updates/discussions as a whole Council.
Members can also help with completing any tasks (eg. making a social media post, etc) outside of meetings, if they’d like. You will receive volunteer hours for all the meetings you attend, any events you help organize/support, and any time you spend outside of meetings working on HYVC tasks.
Application
The Halton Youth Voices Council accepts applications year-round, and the acceptance rate is very high. If you’d like to learn more about them or apply, feel free to head over to their Instagram page @haltonyvc. To apply directly, click here.
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