Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteers may be involved in a number or areas. Most importantly volunteers are needed to staff the centre throughout the day to ensure a safe environment for all individuals.

Please download the General Volunteer form and email it to rainbow@wlu.ca or rainbowcords@gmail.com . Thank You!

Volunteers for the Rainbow Centre will be responsible for a variety of tasks. Each volunteers area of involvement will depend on their interest, availability and previous experience. Volunteers may be involved in a number or areas. Most importantly volunteers are needed to staff the centre through out the day to ensure a safe environment for all individuals.

Volunteer Training & Time Commitment:

Volunteers are asked to volunteer for a minimum of two hours a week, and are welcome to make a larger contribution if desired. Volunteers are encouraged to participate in as many Rainbow Centre events as possible.

In addition to regular volunteering hours volunteers are expected to participate in regular training sessions and volunteer meetings. Volunteer meetings will take place every second week throughout the term, a strike will be given for missed meetings unless the Volunteer Coordinator has been notified in advance that a volunteer will be unable to attend.

In-Service Training Sessions will be offered twice a month on a variety of topics throughout the year with a total of 6 sessions being offered each term in addition to general volunteer training. General volunteer training is mandatory for all Rainbow Centre volunteers and will take place at the beginning of each term. Attendance at 3 of the 6 sessions per term is mandatory for all volunteers.

Tasks volunteers may be responsible for:

• Assisting with maintaining the Rainbow Centre through basic office and housekeeping tasks
• Holding office hours to ensure a safe and inclusive atmosphere
• Participating in brainstorming sessions
• Refer to other services when necessary
• Participating in awareness campaigns, including booths, poster campaigns and other similar events

Rainbow Centre volunteers are not expected to:

• Be experts about LGBTQ experiences, issues or needs
• Be counselors or activists
• Be LGBTQ identified

Rainbow Centre volunteers are expected to:

• Be encouraging and accepting of all individuals who access the Rainbow Centre
• Ask for help when needed
• Be knowledgeable about other resources for LGBTQ individuals
• Be LGBTQ Allies

Reporting:

As a Rainbow Centre volunteer you may be responsible for holding office hours when the Rainbow Centre Coordinators are not available. As such volunteers are expected to maintain a positive and affirming atmosphere for visitors and to document the number of visitors and the reason for their visit; such that the Rainbow Centre can maintain accurate statistics. Many incidents of homophobia or transphobia witnessed or reported to the Rainbow Centre must be properly documented; both for the Rainbow Centre records and for the Alternative Reporting System.

Schedule/ Missed Shifts:

The volunteer schedule will be fairly consistent each week, with changes being made to reflect each individuals changing schedule as necessary. Any necessary changes must be reported to the Volunteer Coordinator as soon as possible to ensure the WLU Rainbow Centre is staffed during hours of operation.