By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A provincial advocate for volunteers says the changing landscape of volunteering means a different approach is needed to attract younger people to bridge the gap.
Colin Corcoran, chief executive of the Community Sector Council (CSC) of Newfoundland and Labrador, told Mount Pearl Council that if you take 46 per cent of the city’s population over the age of 15 it would likely represent the total number of volunteers in the community.
However, he said the lion’s share of the total volunteer hours is done by the 55-plus age group and that the demographic aged 25-35 is not volunteering the same way they used to in the past.
“The concerning thing we have from national data, national trends, and what we’re seeing in a post-pandemic world in this province is we’re seeing a bit of a chasm happening in volunteering,” Corcoran told council ahead of a proclamation signing for Volunteer Week on April 14. “They’re not volunteering at the same percentage and same hours that they have in 2018 or in 2013. The pandemic has accelerated it, but it was an issue pre-pandemic.”
Corcoran suggested part of the reason could be the growth in the need for two-income families, meaning fewer households have the time required to volunteer as often. He said that’s why there should be a focus on promoting volunteerism with businesses, making it part of their professional growth programs and corporate culture.
Corcoran said another focus is to promote generational volunteering where youth see their parents and leaders donating their time.
“When they see their guardians and their leaders volunteering, that is one of the main indicators of if they will become a future volunteer,” he said. “Bring them along, show them what it means to volunteer, what it means to engage and what it means to contribute to your community.”
Another demographic for potential volunteers is new Canadians, Corcoran said, which is a focal point of the organization’s Involve program.
Bahar Hashemi, project coordinator of newcomer volunteering with the CSC, said it’s important to remove barriers to participation for newcomers.
“It’s very important to make (volunteering) accessible for newcomers and engage them,” she said.
Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley asked how a municipality can play a part to spark young people in volunteering. Corcoran said part of it is changing the perspective on volunteering and taking a different approach with youth, acknowledging that they are tech savvy.
“A young person may not be interested in calling ‘BINGO’ on a Friday night, every Friday for the next year, but they may be interested in putting together a Facebook ad. They may be interested in supporting the flyer work, or they may be interested in putting together a digital ad to advertise and get people in,” he said.
Mayor Dave Aker lauded the contributions of local volunteers and said the City of Mount Pearl is a better place to live because of their work.
“Volunteering is good for your own mental health, but it’s really good for everybody else that you serve and whether it’s a sports organization, it could be a church, it could be a service organization, our communities are healthier and we all feel better about doing it at the end of the day,” said Aker. “So it’s not just about numbers, it’s about impact, isn’t it?”