Frontiers Foundation
Volunteers needed for community development and social work projects with First Nations communities in Northern Canada with Frontiers Foundation
Frontiers Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization which has been in existence since 1964. They have received many awards for the work done by their volunteers. Their basic mandate is to provide international groups of volunteers to small, northern, Aboriginal, communities to assist underprivileged people in their efforts in community development.
Volunteers work in:
- Aboriginal schools as teaching assistants and tutors.
- They also help in many other capacities including computer instruction, art, music, sports and recreation, and in many other capacities depending on the skills and training of the volunteers and the needs of the school.
- They work with students from kindergarten to adult education.
- Volunteers are also recruited for construction projects - involving the construction or repair of homes for low-income families.
- All of their projects are in the north of Canada with about half of the communities being above the Arctic Circle.
- The projects are in small, often isolated, First Nations communities in the far north of Canada. Many of these communities suffer from a variety of social problems and the volunteers will often be working with students with learning and behavioural problems. This is a unique opportunity to learn about another culture and way of life while also having the opportunity to see and do some amazing things that are unique to the far north.
Requirements:
- The minimum age is 18 and most of the volunteers are between 21 and 30 years old. However they accept applications for all ages and have had a number of volunteers in their 70s.
- Volunteers should be - energetic and outgoing with a desire to get involved in community life and learn about a unique way of life.
- Volunteers should want to get involved with people and really experience life in the far north of Canada. People who will leave an impression on a community by their outgoing nature and desire to meet people will do best on our programme.
- While they consider all applications, they prefer people who have a university degree or experience in working with young people. It would certainly be beneficial to have experience in teaching or tutoring and they also prefer people with previous volunteer work experience either in their own countries or overseas.
- For the construction projects, they are looking for volunteers with experience in one of the construction trades.
Conditions: - Volunteers are responsible for their own travel to and from Canada.
- Frontiers Foundation covers all of the volunteer's travel costs within Canada and they will cover all of the food and living expenses while on the project.
- They also provide medical insurance and a fifty dollar a week living allowance for pocket money.
- They also provide the volunteer with winter clothing that is adequate for a northern Canadian winter where temperatures will fall to minus forty and colder.
- They ask for a commitment of the full ten month school year starting in early September and continuing through to the end of June. They do have projects that start at other times of the year as the schools request assistance however virtually all of the projects would finish at the end of June.
Volunteers are always needed ! For any more information on Frontiers Foundation, contact either office below or visit their website: www.frontiersfoundation.ca
For more information on Frontiers Foundation and their programmes, please fill in the form below: