Did you know that newcomers to Canada are more likely to spend more hours per year volunteering than people who have lived in Canada for more than 10 years?
Welcoming newcomer volunteers to your organization can include people with diverse perspectives, experience and skills, help to expand your network of volunteers and build stronger connections with newcomer and immigrant communities.
For newcomers, volunteering is a great way to get involved locally and meet people in their new communities. Building meaningful relationships and keeping busy with causes they care about can help newcomers feel more grounded in their new home and support a transition period that may be challenging.
Volunteering can also help newcomers to seek future employment by gaining experience in Canada. It can be an opportunity to practice English language skills, alongside other skills like organization, teamwork and communication. It can also provide connections for employment or education reference letters and allow newcomers to tap into Canada’s “hidden” job market, where many jobs are network-based or not publicly posted. While volunteering is not a requirement for citizenship, many newcomer support organizations recommend volunteering for these reasons.
If you are involved with an organization that works with volunteers, you may already have newcomers volunteering with you. If not, you might be wondering how you can create a more supportive and accessible environment to welcome newcomer volunteers.
Here are a few tips and resources to make your volunteer programs more intentional, welcoming and supportive of newcomers.
Accessible Info
One of the biggest barriers to volunteering for many newcomers is language. Think about your volunteer information package, or the information listed on your website. Is it accessible to read for someone who is learning English? Consider reviewing your communications through this lens and see what adjustments you could make to allow for improved language accessibility. You might offer translations for key information, add more images or graphics to illustrate your meaning or train volunteer recruitment staff on providing information to newcomer volunteers. If your recruitment information is not accessible, you may not see newcomers applying to volunteer with you. Improving this accessibility is a simple way to welcome newcomer volunteers to your organization.
Trained Staff
Another barrier for newcomer volunteers can be the volunteer intake process. Your volunteer policies should have standards about diversity and inclusion but go beyond just statements: providing culturally informed training to your staff, including newcomers and immigrants in the intake process, and ensuring that screening practices are designed with fairness and sensitivity in mind.
Inclusive Onboarding
Onboarding your new volunteers is another area of opportunity for inclusion. Consider again your volunteer information, this time at the onboarding stage. Is it accessible for people of diverse cultural backgrounds? Providing translations, visuals and opportunities for clarification during training are simple ways to support various levels of English language proficiency.
A “buddy” system can be a great way to support newcomer volunteers by pairing them with an experienced volunteer. This allows for one-to-one support and relationship-building as the new volunteer navigates onboarding, training and starting their new volunteer position.
Cultural Connections
If you’re looking to include more newcomers in your volunteer network, connecting with organizations that support newcomers is a great place to start. The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria provides resources, training programs and support for newcomer immigrants and refugees. You might also connect with different cultural organizations in your community to share information about volunteering with your organization. Including both longer-term immigrants and newcomers can create bridges between communities and make newcomers feel more supported in your organization.
Visit volunteercanada.ca to get started with an inclusivity checklist, information on newcomer volunteers and resources on supporting a welcoming volunteer community.
