Volunteer Role: Social Mentoring

Role Description

The Canada Connects program addresses the isolation of immigrating to a new country by welcoming newcomers to Toronto through connections with volunteer mentors. Through 1-on-1 connections, mentor volunteers share information and community resources with newcomer mentees and help them to navigate Canadian culture. Newcomers benefit by practicing their English skills, building their social networks and increasing their sense of belonging in Canada.

Group programs include virtual social programs like English Conversation circles.

To learn more about this program, click here.

Need to Know
Type of Position: Virtual – Flexible Scheduling
Location: Virtual. Option for in-person meetings for pairs that are interested (COVID vaccine passport required for in-person volunteering)
Language Required: English
Time Commitment: Minimum of 1 hour per week or biweekly over a 6 month period. The schedule is flexible. The mentor and mentee set their own schedule
Training and Supervision: Reports to a Social Mentor Worker and the Volunteer Coordinator

Responsibilities

In this role, you will
Meet virtually with the mentee (possibility for in-person connections as well)
Support the mentee’s English conversation skills
Share Canadian culture and norms with mentees
Provide support and encouragement towards personal goals
Provide effective and constructive feedback
Maintain client confidentiality

We look for volunteers that have
Good knowledge of Canadian culture
Good interpersonal skills
Patience
A friendly and positive attitude
The ability to provide constructive feedback

Benefits of this role include
Sharing knowledge and learning something new
Reference letters
Building a personal network
Building leadership
Developing strong interpersonal skills
Working with newcomers who may have limited English
Understanding of the challenges facing newcomers

For more information, contact
Danielle Benton, Volunteer Coordinator
dbenton@nych.ca | 437-343-5516