Individuals representing families, youth, baby boomers, and corporations joined the Gov. Gen. David Johnston in a discussion on volunteering in Canada — which focused on youth participation — in Ottawa yesterday.
“Youth are not a homogenous group,” said Lynne Lessard, a 20-year-old volunteer advocate, adding that young people have different interests and skills that organizations need to tap into to get them engaged.
She said one way to get youth more engaged is for organizations to simply ask them what they want to contribute and integrate it with their responsibilities.
Volunteer organizations would like to see more immigrants volunteering, too.
“Newcomers to Canada are the largest untapped resource for the volunteer market,” said Omaima Faris, an immigrant and volunteer co-ordinator at the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization.
