Volunteer with Us
Volunteering at the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre is an opportunity to learn about other cultures, share your own culture and meet new people.
There are several opportunities to volunteer with our Centre and we hope that you choose us on your journey to becoming a volunteer!
Join the Volunteer Team at Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre
If you are interested in volunteering with our Centre, are at least 18 years old and have a minimum LINC Level 5 (Not applicable to native English speakers), please review the following list of current opportunities or email our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@folk-arts.ca to find out more:
- Art Hub Facilitators (Visual artists of all media needed to lead sessions to help newcomers to learn to make art)
- Bingo Volunteers (Wednesdays from 11:30am-1:30pm and Saturdays 3:30pm-5:30pm to assist with fundraising)
- Chit-chat Volunteers (Weekly commitment to help newcomers practice English in a small-group setting)
- 1:1 English Matches with Newcomers Learning English (One-on-one and small-group matches to learn conversational English)
- Interpreters (Ongoing calls for Arabic, Spanish, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Russian, Dari, Urdu, Hungarian, French or Turkish speakers)
- Special Event Volunteers (Ongoing call for supporting various special events at our Centre or in the community - Please note that the season we need volunteers most for our special events is the month of May and the August long-weekend)
- Way-finders (Greeter role to welcome community members into the Centre - This is a great role for a low-level English learner or a very new newcomer)
- Career Guide (Professional mentor role to support newcomers looking to gain direction for where they want to take their career)
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 volunteer@folk-arts.ca 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)
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 at volunteer@folk-arts.ca to apply or find out more
About our Volunteer Program - Videos
Volunteer Success Stories
Volunteer Success Stories *Covid-19
Volunteer Program - Years in Review
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 email our Volunteer Coordinator directly at volunteer@folk-arts.ca to explore your options for volunteering.
Contact a Team Member
If you have any questions about volunteering at our Centre, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.
Resources
Choosing a new home, moving there, and finding a job can be challenging for newcomers to Canada. In Niagara Canada there is plenty of support to help you make this experience as easy as possible. There is help when you are planning to arrive and when you are ready to make your home here.
The Value of Volunteering Wheel illustrates the many benefits of volunteering to building confidence, competence, connections, and community. It also serves as a portal to research that examines the social and economic value to organizations, neighbourhoods, businesses, society-at-large and to volunteers themselves.
Our Mission
We celebrate and promote cultural, social and economic inclusion and well-being of all immigrants and newcomers.
Our Vision
We are a gateway to equitable, respectful and welcoming communities for immigrants and newcomers in Niagara.
