Volunteer & Careers
Volunteering at Bridges Niagara is an opportunity to learn about other cultures, share your own culture and meet new people.
There are several opportunities to volunteer with our organization and we hope that you choose us on your journey to becoming a volunteer.
Volunteer Opportunities
We have opportunities for newcomers and Canadians who are interested in volunteering with our Centre in the following areas:
- Customer Service
- Newcomer Children
- Special Events
- English Language Practice
- Newcomer Seniors (50+)
- Interpretation
- Fundraising
- Newcomer Youth (Ages 13-24)
- Workshop Facilitation/Speaking
- Leisure/Group Activities
- Professional Career Guidance
We also offer learning opportunities for co-op placement (longer term) and service-learning (shorter term) students as well as community interns (not connected to an educational institution) who are looking for personal and/or professional experience in the settlement field.
Our Community Connections staff can also help newcomers who are interested in volunteering in the larger community find opportunities for them to get involved in Niagara.
How to Get Involved
If you are interested in volunteering with our Centre, are at least 18 years old and have a minimum LINC Level 5, please review the following list of current opportunities and email our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] to apply or find out more:
- Art Hub Facilitators (Guitar, Ukulele or Bongo/Cajon Drum Music Instructors AND Art Leaders for All Art Forms Welcome)
- Bingo Volunteers (Monthly Fundraising and Special Events Role/Position in the Community)
- Chit-chat Volunteers (Weekly English-language Practice Role/Position at our Main Office in St. Catharines or Satellite Location in Niagara Falls)
- English as a Second Language (ESL) “Buddies” (Ongoing Call for One-on-One (and Small-group) Language Matches)
- English Club Facilitators (Weekly English-language Practice Role/Position at Cafes/Local Libraries in St. Catharines or Niagara Falls)
- Interpreters (Ongoing Calls for Arabic, Spanish, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Russian, Dari, Urdu, Hungarian, French or Turkish Speakers)
- Lunch Monitors (Daily Support Role/Position in Our Care for Newcomer Children Program at our Main Office in St. Catharines)
- Pride Leadership Committee Members (2SLGBTQIA+ Newcomers in Niagara or Ontario AND Newcomer or Canadian Allies/Friends Welcome to Apply)
- (Community Connections (CC)/Volunteering) Special Community Event Volunteers (Ongoing Call for Supporting CC/Volunteering Department’s Various Social-integration Special Events)
- (Centre-wide) Special Event Volunteers (Ongoing Call for Supporting Various Special Events at our Centre or in the Community)
- Way-finders (Weekly High-level, Customer-Service Role/Position at Our Main Office in St. Catharines)
Getting Started
If you are specifically interested in becoming a volunteer career guide, please share some more about your professional experiences with us by Applying to be a Career Guide.
If you are interested in completing a student placement or community internship at our Centre, please tell us more about you and your placement requirements/internship goals by Applying to Be a Student.
If you are under 18 years old and need to complete your community service hours, please email our Volunteer Coordinator by completing the form below.
Eligibility Requirements
We have no immigration-status eligibility requirements if you are interested in volunteering with our Centre but as most of our volunteer roles/positions require a certain level of English, we usually ask applicants to please have a minimum Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Level 5.
If you are a newcomer who has not had a language assessment done in Canada or have been assessed at a LINC Level 3 or 4, please complete the form below to explore your options for volunteering.
