Four ways to get involved with the community this giving season.
Photo by Josh Boot via Unsplash.
The lampposts on Government Street are decorated with lights and tinsel, stores are playing holiday songs once more, and winter break is here. In other words, the giving season is in full swing.
If you are staying in Victoria this winter break and searching for actionable ways to care for your community beyond gift-giving, these volunteer opportunities (sourced from the Centre for Youth and Society’s Community Resource Hub) might just be for you.
PEERS
Attention hairstylists, manicurists, cooks, and handyfolk: PEERS needs you.
PEERS provides outreach, support, harm reduction services, education, and employment training for sex workers. This grassroots organization was founded in 1995 by and for those in the sex industry, and welcomes women, men, and trans folk to access support, education, and resources at their location in Esquimalt.
PEERS hosts a weekly Beauty Boutique on Wednesday afternoons, and they are looking for hair stylists and manicurists to join them for two to three hours and share their craft. PEERS is looking for a time commitment of between two and four Wednesdays per month. If hair and nails aren’t your specialty, you can apply to help prepare lunch for the event! The agency is also looking for assorted volunteers to sort donated clothing and help with repairing and cleaning their location.
If volunteering with PEERS piques your interest, the “Get Involved” tab on their website will help you find your footing.
Victoria Cool Aid Society
Are you a baker, artist, or game-lover? Read on!
The Victoria Cool Aid Society is an organization that provides housing, shelters, health and dental care, and general support to Victoria’s unhoused community. With more than 20 locations in Victoria, Saanich, and Langford, Cool Aid helps upwards of 12 000 folks each year.
Cool Aid is currently looking for volunteers to provide support to clients at their shelter sites. More specifically, they are seeking social, recreational, and wellness activity leaders to help facilitate their art, bingo, and baking programs. These programs, which promote creativity and spark joy in the unhoused community, usually run between one to two hours. Volunteers help foster a welcoming space, plan activities, lead small groups of clients in the activities, set up and take down necessary materials, and coordinate supplies and snacks.
If volunteering with Cool Aid sounds like your cup of tea, visit their website’s “Ways to Help” tab.
Victoria Chinatown Care Centre
If you are a musician, dancer, or singer looking for something low-commitment, this volunteer position is for you.
In the heart of Victoria’s Chinatown is the Victoria Chinatown Care Centre, a non-profit, long-term care facility which houses elderly residents full-time and facilitates an Adult Day Program for aging folks. Their mission is to make their grounds feel like home and establish a place where residents can live their best lives.
This winter season, the VCC is looking for volunteers to bring some holiday cheer to their residents by donating their time to perform for just an hour or two.
The “Becoming a Volunteer” section of their website will guide you through your next steps in bringing some festive cheer to Chinatown Care Centre.
VLC Adult Tech Literacy
Our final volunteer opportunity is for the tech-savvy who are looking for a potentially remote position!
Victoria Literacy Connection (VLC) is a local organization that promotes literacy in the Victoria community. VLC has both youth and adult literacy programs, but are looking for volunteers to specifically help with adult media literacy.
The adult media literacy program is composed primarily of seniors who are seeking to learn basic technological skills, such as navigating the internet, filling out online forms, or avoiding “dark rabbit holes” online. Volunteers typically meet with their tutee once per week either face-to-face or over Zoom.
If you’re interested, visit the “Volunteer tab” on VLC’s website.
