Section 4 – Other
Volunteer Program
Refugee claimants, permanent residents and citizens are welcome as volunteers. Come and enjoy a Canadian experience while gaining new skills or refreshing your expertise. Volunteers contribute substantially to the work of Vancouver Refugee Services Alliance (VRSA) and its member agencies serving refugee claimants.
If you are a refugee claimant volunteer activities offer you a chance to:
- Practise your English.
- Make new contacts in the community.
- Gain some Canadian work experience and demonstrate your abilities.
- Learn new skills.
- Contribute to the community.
If you are a member of the general community you have the chance to assist claimant newcomers and offer a hand of friendship as a representative of our host society.
There are a number of general volunteer opportunities in all the VRSA agencies:
- General reception duties: greeting answering the phone, taking messages, preparing intake forms.
- Helping claimants access and use the website. (Needs fluency in one of the languages of refugee source countries as well as English)
- Accompanying refugees to enrol children in school or meet teachers and providing translation as needed
- Participating in committees or on the Board of Directors
- Fundraising
Specifically:
- At Inland Refugee: Preparing bags for the weekly Food Bank and assisting with the distribution of food. Instructing or assisting with ESL classes. Sorting donations and displaying items attractively. Representing the society at bingo sessions.
- At SOS: interpretation and assistance with completion of official forms.
- At MCC: food bank, interpretation and assistance with completion of official forms.
- At ISS: reception, clerical. (Host Program also uses volunteers but the services are not available to claimants.)
How you can help refugees: call Inland Refugee Society at 778-328-8888 or refer to Volunteer Vancouver website www.volunteervancouver.com
All residents of Vancouver are encouraged to donate to supply newcomers’ basic needs. The most needed items are men’s casual clothing, wet weather clothing for all ages, children’s shoes, clothing and toys, women’s clothing. Household items that are always needed are: bedding, blankets, towels, frying pans, saucepans, cutlery and plates.
We request that all clothing be clean and wearable (we do not have facilities for washing and ironing donations). Your gifts will be greatly appreciated by refugee clients and their families and you can be assured that your donations go directly to those in need. Deliveries of donations can be made between 9AM and 4PM Monday to Friday at 212 – 96 East Broadway.
