It’s National Volunteer Week, and all week long we are celebrating those who take time out of their schedules to give back, by volunteering at Covenant House Vancouver (CHV).
Research shows that volunteering can boost both our mental and physical health. Some of the benefits of volunteering are:
- Volunteering helps communities — volunteers are the backbone of many organizations
- Volunteering builds social impact — volunteering can be an opportunity to learn about and help improve local issues
- Volunteering connects you to other people — you can make new friends and feel a sense of achievement from helping others
- Volunteering is good for mental health — contributing to your community and working with others can combat depression, anxiety, and feelings of social isolation
- Volunteering is good for physical health — volunteering can reduce stressors that cause heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic pain, and other illnesses
- Volunteering helps build skills — if you are considering a new career, or advancement in your current one, volunteering is a great way to learn new skills
Today, we would like to shine the spotlight on our excursion leaders.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, excursion leaders facilitate youth experiences, outside of CHV. Some examples include outings to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, bike rides through Stanley Park, café visits, and bowling.
To help give us a better understanding of what it’s like to be an excursion leader, Jason was kind enough to share his experiences at CHV.
Jason was born and raised in Metro Vancouver. He has a passion for food, cooking, and culture. Jason began working in the restaurant industry from a young age, through his family’s restaurants, which led him to a career in the food and beverage industry.
Jason began volunteering at a very young age. During his elementary school career, he won a youth leadership award for participating in a campaign about violence against youth. When he was older, Jason volunteered as a youth leader at a Neighbourhood House, where his grandmother taught Tai Chi.
Jason first learned about CHV many years ago, when he was District Manager of Starbucks, Yaletown region. Starbucks employees, including Jason, would come to CHV and help with donation calls.
Jason eventually transitioned into the tech realm and became busy with work and travel, so he put his volunteering endeavours on pause.
Two years ago, Jason’s grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, which she eventually succumbed to. Jason took a year off from work while she was ill, to spend as much time as possible with her. It was during this time that he thought about volunteering again.
Jason liked CHV’s mission to help at-risk youth, so he decided to volunteer with us. Being personable and outgoing, the excursion leader opportunity resonated with him.
Having lived on the West Coast his whole life, Jason had lots of excursion ideas, such as movies, laser tag, The Bunny Café, bowling, theatre shows and musicals, and ice skating.
Although movies and live shows were great experiences, Jason prefers the kinds of excursions where he can chat with young people. He shared one experience that he really enjoyed when he took a group up to the Cypress Mountain Viewpoint. While admiring the view, the group ate pizza and chatted.
To take advantage of these experiences, Jason would drive the CHV van. Jason loved time in the van, because it was a place to chat and share stories. It also gave youth at CHV the opportunity to meet and get to know each other.
As part of their chats, Jason learned what the youth enjoy doing, so that he could try to work it into either an excursion or into an activity. For example, there was a youth from Afghanistan who loved to play soccer, so Jason arranged a game in the CHV gym.
Why does Jason volunteer? Giving back is important to him.
He believes that life isn’t stagnant. We all grow and change, daily. Volunteering gives Jason a sense of pride, hope, and contributes to his personal growth.
“Volunteering can help with your self-esteem. You may be timid at first, but once you go out and do it, you have overcome a hurdle and grown.” Jason
By taking young people on excursions, sharing his experiences, and answering their questions, Jason hopes to inspire youth and help them see what they can aspire to or accomplish.
Jason believes that by the end of an excursion, the young people leave happy and with a sense of community.
To Jason, and all of the other excursion volunteers, thank you for your time, talents, and energy that go towards enriching the lives, and expanding the minds of the young people at CHV.
If you are interested in volunteering at CHV, check out our volunteer page to learn more about current opportunities.