Immigrants volunteer at a rate of 38%. While this rate is lower than volunteers born in Canada, as only 1 in 5 Canadians is born outside of Canada, immigrant volunteers spend more hours volunteering.
Volunteering by immigrants can be beneficial for both volunteers; by improving their skills and local communities by learning about new cultures.
Judy Stephan is an immigrant to Canada with 23 years of experience in teaching English in South Africa. She volunteers 2-3 times per week as an English tutor. Currently, Judy is the owner and editor of Nanaimo & Voyager Magazine. Here’s what she said about her experience in volunteering with CVIMS:
As an immigrant to Canada, I know how difficult it is to leave one’s home country and settle in a new one… especially later in life, like I did. I can only imagine how much more challenging that must be if English is not your first language. I am a South African ex-pat, and Canada, and Nanaimo specifically, has been amazingly welcoming to me. I wanted to give back to the community that had accepted me. In the spirit of volunteering, I love to get involved in the community and have been on many different boards and committees like the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown initiatives, Rotary and more.
When I received an email talking about helping newcomers learn English, I thought it was a good fit for me, as in South Africa I had been a Grade 12 English teacher for over 23 years. Although I run my own business, I am tutoring 2 to 3 times a week and thoroughly enjoying it.
