Year of the volunteer

LIVE Centre Coordinator Valerie Millette (right) stands with sociology undergraduate Vanessa Bhola, who began volunteering at the Centre this summer and is now working as Millette’s assistant as part of work-study term. Bhola’s volunteer experience at the Centre, as well as her volunteering at the Concordia Greenhouse, will appear on her Co-Curricular Record. | Photo by Concordia University

With the opening of Concordia’s Leadership Initiative and Volunteer Engagement (LIVE) Centre and the implementation of the Co-Curricular Record in 2010, Concordia has both facilitated and officially recognized the value of volunteering.

In the process, these initiatives have enriched the university’s already strong commitment to community involvement.

Formally opened in August, the LIVE Centre has given students a central location to gather information about volunteering at Concordia and in the wider community to supplement their education with real-world experience.

Since opening, the Centre (an initiative of Counselling and Development) has welcomed hundreds of students in search of information about volunteer opportunities. “The response has been very encouraging,” says LIVE Centre Coordinator Valerie Millette.

Millette, along with the Concordia University Volunteer Initiative committee, expanded Concordia’s traditional Volunteer Awareness Week to a full month of activities. During October, 1,000 students participated in the 11 events and workshops – a significant increase from previous years’ turnouts.

“Of course I expected Volunteer Awareness Month to be a success, but to reach these numbers, it was a nice surprise,” says Millette.

Many of the students who have been part of Concordia’s growing interest in volunteering this year have been able to acknowledge their experience on their Co-Curricular Record (CCR), an official document formally recognizing volunteer experience additional to academic achievements.

When the CCR was launched in September, Concordia became the first Quebec university to offer such a transcript.

While data is still being collected, CCR Coordinator Jasmine Stuart estimates 3,000 volunteer positions have been entered by students via the MyConcordia portal to be considered for addition to their CCR (see Journal, August 30, 2010).

“We think Concordia has a very vibrant and active student life that is unique to our institution, and we’re now facilitating the learning and skill development that takes place outside of the classroom,” says Stuart.

Currently, the LIVE Centre is developing a list of volunteer opportunities that coincides with areas of study.

“It’s beneficial to have a list of organizations that apply more specifically to students’ direction,” says Millette. “It’s a way of giving them more options.”

Related links:
•    Volunteer Concordia
•    LIVE Centre’s Facebook page
•    Concordia’s Co-Curricular Record
•    Give a little, get a lot – Now, October 18, 2010
•    In this parallel world, volunteering counts – Montreal Gazette, August 21, 2010