Volunteerism | Student Volunteer Connections

steps to volunteerism

SVC offers these types of volunteerism in ascending order of committment, allowing individuals to choose the amount of committment suitable for their lifestyles.

types of committment	definition
micro-volunteerism	The volunteer world of the 21st century. Coined by the Extraordinaires in San Fran, micro-volunteerism is the latest craze that gets people helping community-benefit organizations through their phone and internet. People, primarily with business skills, offer free advice and resources during their spare time, whether it's during a break, after work, or commuting by subway. SVC has adpoted this incredible action and has decided to broaden the concept of Micro-Volunteerism to incorporate much more. We beleive that micro-volunteerism exists all around us at all times. Micro-volunteerism is the act of voluntary participating in small day-to-day situations that occupy a brief amount of time. This could be anything from helping stack chairs, to guiding someone with impaired seeing, to signing a petition, to helping someone who's done on their luck. It's the opportunity to make a difference through small acts that leave a big impact - one by one, we'll get the job done. For more on micro-volunteerism or to get the APP, check out: http://www.sparked.com
philanthropy	Primarily monetary donations to charities, from corpporation and individuals. At this stage in our lives, (as students that is) many of us aren't in a circumstance that we can freely donate millions of dollars, however, every penny counts. There are many stages of commitment for philanthropy and is crucial for the survival of the non-profit sector. If you are interested in being a philanthropist, try starting with this: put aside 1 dollar each day for one year. Simply by not buying a coffee each day, you have saved $365.00 that you can donate to a cause or a charity.
volun-team-ing	group volunteering- volunteering with a team of people with the common interest of building community. Volunteaming is a great chance for a group; whether they are a hall council, college government, some roommates, or friends; to come together in a unique group-bonding experience that's not only an awesome fun time, but one that leaves an incredible impact in the commuity and demonstration of how important and powerful numbers can be. Teams volunteer for anything from events and festivals to maintenance projects and odd jobs for various local community-benefit organizations. If you can't find a team? Check out SVC's current opportunities with HELP!
one-timing	Pretty low commitment, one time volunteer opportunities range anywhere from 1 hour to 10 hours, this awesome method is flexible and perfect for students who get an afternoon or weekend free to do what they want! (We're always getting an abundance of one-timers - subscribe to our weekly email and like us on facebook to always be in the know.)
service learning	Teaching and learning strategies that integrates meaningful community service placements with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. An exciting, hands-on approach to education, service-learning is taking place in a wide variety of settings: schools, universities, and community-based organizations throughout the world. The core concept driving this educational strategy is that by combining service objectives and learning objectives, along with the intent to show measurable change in both the recipient and the provider of the service, the result is a radically-effective transformative method of teaching students. For more info and resources on service learning, check out Service Learning (American) and the Canadian Alliance for Community Service Learning.
virtual volunteering	The incredible opportunity that internet access gives anyone to get involved from the comfort of their home, room, or favourite coffee shop. Virtual Volunteering, or online volunteering, is a newer form of volunteerism that can include regular- commitment volunteer placements that not only utilizes and helps develop communication skills, graphic design, and web maintenance, but also more traditional skills such as mentoring, research, fundraising, counselling, and even instead of stuffing envelopes - your sending out emails! More and more local community benefit organizations are adapting to the virtual world, but many aren't there quite yet - they might need someone like you! For an incredible website on Online Volunteering and to get started now, check out the UN's Online Volunteering website. For an awesome online micro-loan program, go to www.kiva.org. Not your thing, maybe you're more into gaming and avatars? check out how you can help non-profits in the virtual world of second life, through Non-Profit Commons.
community service	direct: The front line crew. Direct Service puts the volunteer in person-to-person contact with those utilizing the service of a community-benefit organization. This can include serving food, staffing a health clinic, being a TA, or helping out at a drop-in centre. Indirect Service The people behind the curtain. These volunteers help fulfill tasks that meet a very important need that lead to large benefits for the greater community. Indirect Service can be assisting with environmental projects, building houses, designing community programs, or planning a violence prevention program. Research Service Not much of a stretch for us students. Research Service involves volunteers researching a vast array of important information for organizations that help improve programs and understand situations much stronger. Research projects can range from an organization's return on investment, to community impact, to audit reports, to discovering the root causes of the issue. Advocacy Service The voice. Advocacy Service covers any volunteer role that incorporates people addressing an issue on behalf of the public's interest. Through Public Relations, advocacy service can range from conducting awareness campaigns, lobbying on behalf of an issue, to letter campaigns. For an example of how to start a letter campaign, check out this incredible TED Talks video.
social action	SVC's final stage of volunteerism, Social Action is the realization of human responsibility and acting upon it for the betterment of society and the world in whole. It is a chance to not focus on individual or monetary gain, but an opportunity to contribute to the greater picture. Social Action promotes the concept of being an engaged citizen that is intuned to current issues happening within the local and international community and acting in a positive manner to address them. With the right blend of social action and passion, any one is able to efficiently maximize their ability to make a positive impact in their world. To start participating in social action initiatives, check out what SVC has to offer.