1. Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon by Gael Marchand - Nov. 2010 v1.1

2. Volunteering is about giving your time, energy and skills freely.  Volunteering provide a sense of achievement and can be fun, relaxing and energizing.  The energy can carry over to a work situation and sometimes helps foster new perspectives for old situations.  A volunteer experience can lead you to discover a hobby or interest you were unaware of.  Volunteering is a way to get life experience, you will experience the real world through hands-on work.  You can make the little corner of the world where you live just a little bit better.

3.  Be part of your community  Volunteering helps you make new friends and contacts  Volunteering increases your social and relationship skills  Break stereotypes and apprehension toward new comers and distant cultures.

4.  Discover and experience something new you might be good at and enjoy at the same time.  If you are thinking of a career change then volunteering is a perfect way to explore new fields.  It is never too late to learn new skills in Canada and transferability of skills is a common and recognized practice.  Acquire some “professional experience ”.

5. A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses 73% of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without 94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills 94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted

6. People pay attention to your life outside the environment in which they have direct contact with you. For example, your employer would be interested in the activities that gives you a good work-life balance, just as academic institutions are interested in your extra- curricular activities.  Volunteering reflects and supports a complete picture of you, and gives real examples of your commitment, dedication and interests.

7. Volunteer Canada and Statistics Canada released their 2007 survey of giving, volunteering and participating:  12.5 million Canadians or 46% of the population aged 15 and over, volunteered.  Canadians volunteered almost 2.1 billion hours in 2007 – the equivalent of close to 1.1 million full-time jobs.

10.  Be proactive. Ask questions.  Have a general idea of the time commitment you want to volunteer for.  Make sure you know what’s expected from you.  Enjoy yourself.

11.  Visit us  Register online volunteeryukon.ca Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon 305 Wood Street, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5P7 phone: (867) 456.4304