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Volunteering at Covenant House

Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I know if volunteering at Covenant House is right for me?
How does your application process work?
How are volunteers selected?
What qualities do you look for in your volunteers?
What roles are available to volunteers?
Can I apply for a specific position?
Where's your Application Form?
How can I find out info about Student Placements or Corporate Involvement?

How do I know if volunteering at Covenant House is right for me?

Before filling in our volunteer application form, please read on to find out about:
1) Our volunteer screening process, requirements and the types of roles our volunteers play to see if it’s a good fit.
2) Our programs and services, as well as about the youth we serve to determine what contribution you could make.
If you are still interested, fill in our online application. Be sure to include:
- Your availability. This is a key factor in determining whether there might be a suitable position for you.
- Your professional skills, along with any recreational interests, related life skills or expertise you have. Even if you don’t see an activity or topic listed, yours could lead to an idea for a new offering.

How does your application process work?

Applicants with the skills, interests and availability needed for available or potential positions are contacted to arrange an interview. Interviews are an opportunity for us to discuss our needs and requirements and for the candidate to learn more about our programs and possible opportunities. A police reference check waiver form is completed at the interview and two personal references are contacted.

Once the right position is found, volunteers are given a position description, and then they must complete our online orientation before a start date or observation shift is arranged. Hands-on training specific to the role is provided by the staff team with whom the volunteer is assigned to work.

Access is given to our Volunteer Portal, a section of our website with an events calendar, agency news and resources such as our volunteer manual, training materials and policies.

How are volunteers selected?

Volunteer placements are based on a candidate’s skills, interests, availability and current agency needs. Our needs change constantly so volunteer applications are kept on file for six months to one year.

We are fortunate to receive many volunteer applications and our needs change all the time. We are only able to contact those volunteers for whom we may currently have a suitable position. If you don’t hear back from us right away, please know that your application will be kept on file for up to six months.

What qualities do you look for in your volunteers?

-    Caring, non-judgmental attitude
-    Ability to see our youth as being “at promise” not “at risk”
-    Ability to take direction and to respond calmly in an emergency
-    Ability to work as part of a team
-    Reliability
-    Flexibility
-    Respect for the need for confidentiality when interacting with our youth, staff and other volunteers
-    Good listening and communication skills
-    Respect and appreciation for racial, cultural and lifestyle diversity.
-    Willingness to assist where needed.

What roles are available to volunteers?

Volunteers play a vital role in every aspect of our work.   By offering their time, skills and expertise they help us to provide the widest possible range of services to our youth, and support all of the administrative supports that make Covenant House successful.

Working directly with our youth:

Recreational Activities: By facilitating a variety of recreational activities, volunteers help our youth develop social skills, find shared interests or develop new interests that may become lifelong passions. Arts and crafts, music, yoga, basketball and board games are among the activities we currently offer. New activity suggestions are welcome

Lifeskills: Teaching youth lifeskills that will help them when they move on to live independently is an important part of our work. Volunteers share their expertise and experience in a variety of lifekskills topics ranging from practical skills like cooking and nutrition, budgeting and sewing on a button, to self development topics like time management, negotiation skills and healthy relationships. Ideas for new workshops are always welcome.

Tutoring: We have a pool of tutors available to assist youth with homework in a variety of academic areas and levels of study on an as needed basis.

Translating: Volunteers who speak languages other than English help us on an as needed basis.

Relationship Building: Developing healthy ongoing relationships of trust with the youth we serve is one of the most important roles our volunteers play. Being with adults who are caring, accepting and who can model positive behaviour and values. ?

Supporting our work in other ways:

Administrative support: During business hours from Monday to Friday, volunteers assist with a variety of essential administrative tasks in all departments throughout the agency. From assisting with donor mailings, preparation for events and donation sorting there is much behind the scenes administrative work that makes our efforts to support our youth successful.

Special Events, Fundraising and Public Awareness: We rely on our fundraising efforts to make all of our programs and services possible. Volunteers offer their support by helping us to plan and execute our events and by creating awareness and networking on our behalf in the community.

Can I apply for a specific position?

If you have a specific role in mind, please indicate the area of interest on your application. We take volunteer preferences into account but base our decisions on need and the availability of staff to provide support and supervision.

Where's your Application Form?

You can fill in the application form here.

Where can I find information about:

Student Placements

Students looking for placements to gain practical experience in the field should contact Debbie Romaniw at romaniw@covenanthouse.ca.

Corporate involvement

For ideas about how your corporate group can support our work at Covenant House see our Corporate Partner page

For other information, please email your inquiry to volunteer@covenanthouse.ca.

Lending A Hand

Dawn has been volunteering at Covenant House for five years, mostly helping out with special events, like our annual Christmas party. "Seeing all of the youth having fun and enjoying themselves makes me happy. It's my pleasure to have a small part in making things happen at Covenant House," she says.

Facts & Stats

We're incredibly grateful for the volunteer support we receive. Last year, some 120 volunteers provided about 4,300 hours valued at $120,000, helping with special events and administrative duties.