The Women's Centre of Calgary

Volunteer & job description:

Peer support is trust-based support from trained volunteers that women provide to each other. Our peer support is: non-judgmental, non-therapeutic, delivered on a one-to-one basis. Peer support is available to women who need basic needs support, information about community resources, direction based on a question or concern, someone to listen.

Duties:

• Helping women who drop-in or phone by providing resource information and referrals to other agencies.
• Providing women with support (emotional) through active listening.
• Managing bookings for: workshops, legal advice clinics and one-on-one peer appointments.
• Keeping informed about the Women's Centre / community programs and upcoming events.
• Talking to women in general to facilitate social connections and to maintain an inclusive and a welcoming space for all women.
• Providing front desk reception and giving assistance with other work as needed.

Needed skills:

• Ability to work with a diverse range of women in a non-judgmental manner.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Participation in an initial orientation and ongoing training sessions.
• An interest in women's issues and in helping women.
• Good listening and communication skills.
• A willingness to work within the philosophy of the Women's Centre.

Time commitment:

Minimum of a 3-month commitment of one, 3-hour shift per week. 

Please note, a valid (<6 months) Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Check is required for this role. The Women's Centre can support interested volunteers in obtaining this Check.

Please apply at this link.

In coordination with the Women’s Centre team, volunteer lawyers provide free legal advice to women and gender-diverse people through individual sessions or workshops. The sessions aim to provide a starting point to those accessing the legal system, empowering them with options and information. Volunteers do not provide legal representation and are required to maintain confidentiality.

The Women’s Centre is registered as an Approved Legal Service Provider. This means volunteer lawyers who are otherwise exempt from indemnity coverage are covered for volunteer legal services.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Actively practicing in family, estate, immigration, civil or criminal law.
• Must be a member in good standing with the Alberta Bar Association.
• Must have accreditation as a practicing lawyer in Alberta.
• Must have a minimum of two years practice experience.
• Ability to work with women of diverse backgrounds.
• A basic understanding of relevant social issues including but not limited to gender-based violence, family breakdown, and child maltreatment. 
• Excellent empathetic listening and communication skills.
• Time commitment: two hours per month.

All program volunteers undergo: (1) a police information check with a vulnerable search; and (2) two reference checks.

ASSETS

• Bilingualism.
• An understanding of trauma-informed practices.
  
  

WORKING CONDITIONS
This volunteer opportunity is primarily in-person and onsite at the Women’s Centre of Calgary.  Some remote delivery is available on an as-needed basis.

https://www.lawsociety.ab.ca/resource-centre/public-resources/approved-legal-services-providers-for-the-public/

Questions? Please email volprog@womenscentrecalgary.org

Program Description: The role of a Community Connector volunteer at the Women’s Centre is multi-faceted, starting with being the friendly and welcoming presence that women encounter upon entering the Centre. Beyond this, Community Connectors are pivotal in informing women about ongoing activities within the Centre and directing them to the appropriate areas for support.

The heart of the Community Connector role lies in fostering meaningful engagement within the lounge area. This involves cultivating connections, sparking interactions, kindling conversations, and coordinating activities that resonate with the women present (and at times with youth and kids). This space serves as a hub for women to connect, share experiences, and find solidarity. As a Community Connector, this is your canvas to innovate, create, and weave threads of connection among the women within the Centre.

Role Duties:

Greeting and engaging with women to ensure they feel welcomed at the centre by:

• Welcoming women at the door.
• Guiding women to the support areas they want such as our Peer Support volunteers, basic needs, workshops, and equipment area.
• Forge connections through conversations, capturing impactful stories and experiences shared by the community at the lounge area – conduct interactive activities among women to create connections.
• Relationship building with women through conversation.
• Serving tea, coffee, and snacks to community members.
• Organize resource area, bookshelves, reading nook and information board.
• Offering support with computers, fax machine, phone.
• Offering tours and sharing information about the WC and community-building opportunities.

Required Skills:

• A willingness to work within the philosophy of the Women's Centre.
• Ability to work with a diverse range of women in a non-judgmental manner.
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
• Participation in an initial orientation, 2 core training sessions, volunteer shadowing, and ongoing training sessions.
• An interest in women's issues and in helping women.
• Good listening and flexible communication skills.
• Enjoy small talk, being friendly and having a welcoming approach to meeting people

Time Commitment: 

1 shift per week  (3 hours/shift) for a minimum commitment of 3 months.

Program Description

This role is onsite at the Women's Centre.

Working within the Community Capacity Building Peer Model, the Food Program Volunteers support women in our community with essential access to food. Working with the Calgary Food Bank, Food Program volunteers will assemble and distribute food hampers to women from the Women’s Centre while facilitating social connections.

Job Duties

• Support centre staff to receive and unload food shipments from the Calgary Food Bank
• Assemble the food hampers, perishable items, and frozen items before women come for their hamper
• Distribute food hampers to women as they come in throughout the shift
• Engage with women to facilitate social connections and to maintain an inclusive and welcoming space for all women
• Support the Emergency Hamper program

Needed Skills

• A willingness to work within the philosophy of the Women's Centre
• Ability to work with a diverse range of women in a non-judgemental manner
• An interest in women's issues and in helping women
• Participation in an initial orientation and ongoing training sessions
• Ability to work unsupervised and collaboratively within a small volunteer team
• Must be able to lift 15lbs +

Time Commitment

Minimum of a 6-month commitment, 1 shift per week (minimum 3 hours per week). 

Program Description

Do you love listening and learning from the experiences of girls and gender diverse youth? We are currently looking for volunteers for our Summer camps! Our Girl Power Camps are for girls and gender diverse youth in grades 4-6 and our Girl Force Camps are for grades 7-9. All camps aim to support participants to develop their leadership and activism skills, build community, and have fun! Volunteers play an essential role in supporting youth to develop their skills and explore issues that are important to them. With the support of staff, volunteers prepare for the sessions, help facilitate activities and discussions, and spend time connecting with the group by participating in the program. Volunteers also support the program by setting up and cleaning up snacks, lunch, crafts, and activities.

Volunteer Duties

1. Supporting the facilitation of workshops and activities on gender, relationships, body image, activism and other topics in an age-appropriate way.

2. Helping to provide an enthusiastic, fun, inclusive and engaging experience for participants.

3. Helping to create and maintain a supportive, inclusive and non-judgemental space for youth.

4. Supporting the program content and promoting thoughtful discussions.

5. Referring participants to a staff member when they require support or assistance outside of regular program needs.

6. Assisting with set-up and clean-up of activities.

7. Debriefing and recording observations to share with staff.

Needed Skills

1. Ability to work with a diverse range of girls and gender diverse youth in a non-judgemental way.

2. An interest in issues affecting girls and gender diverse youth.

3. Commitment to supporting the leadership and activism of youth.

4. Willing to challenge ageism and other forms of oppression.

5. Good listening, communication and basic facilitation skills.

6. A willingness to work within the philosophy of the Women's Centre.

Time Commitment

We are looking for volunteers to support week-long camps this summer during the time frames listed below. Program runs from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Thursday and volunteers must commit to at least one week. We have three shift options available. All day shifts (8:30- 4:30pm), Morning shifts (8:30am- 12:30pm) or Afternoon shifts (12:30pm - 4:30pm) are available. We are currently looking for volunteers for any shifts.

Girl Power Camps (Grades 4-6)

· July 6th to 9th

· August 10th to 13th

Girl Force Camps (Grades 7-9)

· July 27nd to 30th

· August 17th to 20th

Teen Day Camps (Grade 10-12)

· July 13th 1-5pm

· July 20th 1-5pm

· August 5th 1-5pm

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To Apply

Please submit a volunteer application and contact contact Hope or Abby, our Girls Leadership Coordinators, at youth@womenscentrecalgary.org for more information.

Please note, all volunteers are required to have a Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening. 

Program Description:

• The Digital Literacy Program at the Women's Centre provides a low barrier foundational program for women to build skills and confidence in digital literacy.
• Women will build foundational digital skills in several key areas through:
  • Free computer classes at the Centre
  • Or, by working with volunteers in our drop-in space to answer any tech-related questions (including, but not limited to: creating and accessing email, converting documents from word to PDF, printing/faxing documents, formatting documents).

Role Responsibilities:

• Provide a supportive, inclusive and non-judgemental learning environment when interacting with individuals and answering tech-related questions.
• Build relationships with learners and provide informed and engaging educational experience with learners.
• Attend Women’s Centre volunteer training and any other relevant training sessions.
• Report to staff on the number of topics covered with learners, number of learners and hours covered.
• Refer participants to Peer Support Volunteers for other support and referrals as needed.

Needed Skills:

• Ability to work with a diverse range of women in a non-judgemental manner.
• Willingness to gain or have existing knowledge of literacy, language proficiency, skills, knowledge, and individual learning needs and plan sessions accordingly.
• Strong foundational computer skills in the following areas: 
  • Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint
  • Email
  • Zoom
  • Going online
  • Saving files and backups
  • Using websites
  • Creating passwords
  • Online safety and privacy
• Fluent in English. Other languages are an asset.
• Commitment to volunteering one shift per week.
• Good listening and communication skills.
• A commitment to work within the peer model philosophy of the Women’s Centre.

Time Commitment: 3 hours per week, for a minimum of 3-months.