Could anyone share experiences with good off-campus volunteering experiences they have had? I really would like to get involved in the Hamilton community by doing something meaningful with my spare time.

Do you own a blowtorch?

I do not unfortunately.

Originally Posted by kevcom

Could anyone share experiences with good off-campus volunteering experiences they have had? I really would like to get involved in the Hamilton community by doing something meaningful with my spare time.

Hey!
I've volunteered off campus a few times now and I've had really good experiences most times. The fist time, I volunteered at Notre Dame Youth shelter downtown, and it was fun but a little sketchy. I helped to sort clothes/serve food etc. but some of the kids who came in were a little frightening. I know that sounds mean... maybe I'd have had a better time if I was more experienced in dealing with youth at risk, but there you go...

I volunteered at the Hamilton aviary (in westdale) for about six months. I cleaned/helped build bird cages, fed birds, and helped out when the vet visited. It was really random but LOVED it. The white cockatoo, Baby is the greatest

I also volunteered at SISO's The Globe for three semesters, and I helped out with the Homework Help Club (i.e. helping kids from immigrant/refugee families with homework especially if their first language wasn't English), and I loved it. This may sound cheesy, but it was honestly one of the most rewarding things I've done.

If you want to get involved, contact Community Volunteer Action (they have flyers up all over campus, and a volunteer fair at the start of each year). Here's the site http://www.opirg.org/mcmaster/cva/li...website _team

I use this site over the summer to find good volunteer placements: http://www.volunteerhamilton .on.ca/
It's good for specifying your interests and matching you to volunteer programs.

I've also randomly Googled and called women's shelters over the summer and they have volunteer placements but they usually have extensive training requirements which was hard to fit in with a full time job.

Good luck finding a volunteer placement! I've had a lot of fun, and I'm sure you will too!

If you're interested in volunteering, check out the Volunteer Connections office out of the Student Success Centre in Gimour Hall.
There's a bunch of students who work out of the office, whose primary job is to match students up with volunteering positions match their interests and availability. It's a great way to find out about current volunteering positions which are available in Hamilton, and they also have a bunch of resourses which can be VERY helpful in finding a position.
Office hours are 12:30-4:30 in GH 110

Thanks a lot Geek for the involved response! I used to volunteer at a homeless shelter back home, and I liked that kind of work, so maybe I will try volunteering at a shelter downtown. I'm sure there are all sorts of crazies but I know they mean no harm. Also congrats on doing all that volunteering and being in Eng. I'm in Eng 1 and I'm finding the workload just ridiculous - it's going to be a tight squeeze if I do some volunteering.

I volunteered a lot during my undergrad. Almost all of it was animal or vet related, but here are some things you could do if you like animals:

- Westdale Aviary .. somebody already mentioned it above. It's kind of a ***** waking up early to do it (I had the morning shift) and it's kind of stuffy and dusty but it's really neat working with all those birds. I agree, Baby was such a sweet bird!

- Horse Rescue Ontario .. if you have a car to drive out to Waterdown (Ofield Rd N), the lady out there appreciates the extra help. Basically you're mucking out stalls and enclosures, feeding the horses, refilling water buckets, etc. Mostly mucking out. A lot of grunt work, a lot of poo, but you get to interact with a lot of old riding horses or old racehorses who were saved from slaughter. I volunteered there for a while, I don't know how much I agree with the owner's practices, but it's a great way to get more basic experience with horses and help out a lady who is trying to do something nice. There's a LOT of work and it's just one lady and sometimes her daughter caring for like 12 horses while she also has another job during the day. My favourite horse there was Spencer (an old Paint), who unfortunately is at the bottom of the pecking order lol .. he gets bullied a lot.

- Hamilton-Burlington SPCA .. you could help them out by walking dogs. Again it's a bit of a drive (Dartnall Rd on the mountain) but it's nice.

Another useful thing to do is to join a club on campus that does volunteer work in a field you're interested in (ex PAWS @ Mac if you're into animals) since it's a lot easier to get a volunteer position through them at these places, than it is to try to do it on your own (ex the HB-SPCA has a lot of red tape before you can go walk dogs, if you go with PAWS, it's a lot easier lol, and then you can make arrangements to keep going on your own).

Originally Posted by kevcom

Thanks a lot Geek for the involved response! I used to volunteer at a homeless shelter back home, and I liked that kind of work, so maybe I will try volunteering at a shelter downtown. I'm sure there are all sorts of crazies but I know they mean no harm. Also congrats on doing all that volunteering and being in Eng. I'm in Eng 1 and I'm finding the workload just ridiculous - it's going to be a tight squeeze if I do some volunteering.

You're welcome! I hope you find a volunteer position you'll enoy.

And just for the record, engineering gets easier in upper years. So don't feel bad if you don't have time to do all the stuff you'd like to in first year... get to know your study habits and get used to university first.

Originally Posted by kevcom

Could anyone share experiences with good off-campus volunteering experiences they have had? I really would like to get involved in the Hamilton community by doing something meaningful with my spare time.

That's really nice to hear

I'm one of the city leads for a grassroots movement of young social activists called "the (Mob)ilizers." We work in conjunction with Me to We and Free the children to hold various campaigns and events throughout the year that deal with everything from local poverty to children's rights.

The Hamilton Mob is one of 24 "Mob cities" across the country that participates in these events and campaigns, and we currently support the village of Terre Casse, Haiti through a Free the Children's "Adopt-a-village" model that is centred around 4 pillars (Healthcare, water and sanitation, education, and alternative income).

We are holding a big benefit concert towards the end of March to spread awareness about the continuing issues afflicting Haitians and to support the village of Terre Casse. We've got a bunch of awesome talent lined up and are definitely looking for people to help out with the event, as well. If you've got any suggestions for speakers/performers or would like to help with the setup and execution of the event, please feel free to let me know! We're always open to more helping hands

Hi there
Thank you for remembering us!
If you're too busy and cannot make it for a drop in, you can always fill out a Connections Form at http://servicelearning.mcmas ter.ca/

Sometimes, volunteering opportunities/events may be posted on our blog: http://www.macpopthebubble.w ordpress.com

Just a side note, we are opened Monday - THURSDAY 12:30-4:30

Cheers
Emily


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McMaster Volunteer Connections
Student Success Centre - Gilmour Hall 110
Monday-Thursday 12:30-4:30
[email protected]