Frequently Asked Questions

KPU My Volunteer Page and Career Connection.

MyVolunteerPage is an online database that let allows us to schedule shifts for multiple activities and record our volunteer's service hours. Students are able to sign up for shifts and record contributions online.

We support various groups on campus with volunteers and also work with various organizations to provide shifts for KPU students to volunteer as groups off-campus. The roles of our volunteers for these opportunities vary widely.

Once you've created a MyVolunteerPage account, login and click on the 'Hours' tab and then 'Log Hours'. Enter the hours you completed and the name of the activity. Please note that these hours will NOT be saved until a staff member verifies and confirms them. Once your hours have been confirmed, you will be able to view a list of them all under the 'Reports' tab at the top.

We are very thankful for the time and commitment of our volunteers. Volunteers are recognized for their service on an ongoing basis throughout the year and our department provides students with:

• Volunteer Records
• Reference Letters
• Reference Phone Calls

We would really love it if our volunteers actively volunteered with us throughout the year. However, it is not mandatory for you to volunteer for every event and you are not required to do a certain amount of hours.

The best thing about volunteering is that is a very easy and fun way to gain experience to put on your resume. No matter what role you take on, you will be utilizing and improving transferable skills needed for the workforce that you didn't even know you had! For example:

• When making small talk with fellow volunteers and guests at an event, you are actually developing your communication skills and learning how to put yourself out there
• When one of your fellow volunteers comes up to you to ask if they can help and you direct them to a task and give instruction, you are practicing you're leadership skills and making sure others take initiative too.

These are just some of the transferable skills that will help you with your future career endeavors. There are definitely many things that volunteering will help you with, but you'll have to sign up with Volunteer Services to find out for yourself!

• Most common benefits reports from volunteering:
• Make a difference to your community. Give back
• Network and meet new people, friends, and job references
• Expand your horizons and explore new career options
• Develop new skills
• Retain and sharpen existing skills. Produce evidence that you have these skills
• Build self-confidence and communication skills

There are many great clubs and groups that you can volunteer for at KPU. The KSA START Program, Kwantlen Public Research Interest Group, and the Future Students Office are a few of those groups. If you are interested in having more of an impact on KPU student life, think about running for a KSA Representative position or applying to be a part of a KSA Committee. The KSA also has a variety of student clubs that can be found here: http://kusa.ca/clubs.html

Volunteer Services is not an exclusive team of volunteers. We encourage students to expand their horizons and sign for a variety of opportunities that help you achieve your goals.

We ask that volunteers provide 48 hours' notice of any shift cancellations. If you can email Volunteer@kpu.ca to inform us it would be greatly appreciated. It is important that you are professional and punctual with your volunteer shifts as people are counting on our volunteers.

Our largest event is Get Ready, Get Hired, Job & Volunteer Fair which is an opportunity for you to shop around for volunteer and or job opportunity that matches YOU. Looking for an opportunity to get involved in your community? Check out this annual showcase in late September of a wide variety of local organizations and meet their representatives. Find out more about how you can contribute to a cause you are passionate about! We also have group volunteer opportunities available throughout the year.

KPU uses a system called Career Connection which is free for organizations to use and promote their opportunities to KPU students. Once your registration is complete, you can submit a posting for up to 2 months. If you need assistance, you are more than welcome to contact us for help at volunteer@kpu.ca

To register:

1. Go to the Career Connection login page: https://kpu-csm.symplicity.com/employers
2. Click Register.
3. Fill out the form with your company information. Fields marked with a red asterisks are required.
4. Click Submit. Within one working day, you will receive a welcome email with a link to set your password.
   1. NOTE: If you have not received this email, check your junk folder, as system messages sometimes end up landing there.
5. In the email, click Set your Password.
6. Enter your new password and click Save.
7. In the form, complete the fields marked with a red asterisk and click Submit.

To post a Volunteer Opportunity on Career Connection:

1. If you haven’t logged in to Career Connection already, log in here: https://kpu-csm.symplicity.com/employers
2. In the top navigation bar, click Job Postings; or, in the list of shortcuts on the right hand side, click Post a Job.
3. Click Add New.
4. Select Post to this School Only.
5. Complete the form with your job posting information.

Depending on the time period and nature of your project, we may suggest some optimal ways that you can engage with our students. Contact volunteer@kpu.ca to discuss your needs.

• Volunteer
  • Unpaid service that a student contributes their time to. Generally speaking is not part of a formal program at the university
• Service Learning Classes
  • Integrates voluntary, unpaid community service that addresses community needs into a credit-bearing course
• Practicums
  • Involves work experience under the supervision of an experienced registered or licensed professional in any discipline that requires practice-based work experience for professional licensure or certification. Practica are generally unpaid, and, as the work is done in a supervised setting, students do not have their own workload/caseload.
• Co-operative Education
  • Co-op consists of alternating academic terms and paid work terms that provide experience in a workplace setting related to the student’s field of study.
• Applied Research
  • Students are engaged in research that deals with community-driven, or workplace-related issues.
• Paid employment

Consider the following:

LOCATION: Where will the volunteer opportunity be taking place? KPU has 4 campuses across the lower mainland: Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale, and Langley. Many students rely on transit to take them to and from a location, so transit accessibility is important.

PER WEEK COMMITMENT: How long is the volunteer needed for the volunteer opportunity? Students take anywhere from 3 hours a week of class to 15. Many students also have a part time or even full time job on top of this. Availability per week varies widely!

DURATION: What is your minimum length of commitment? Being up front about this will help students decide if your opportunity is a good match for them. Because students operate on a semester by semester scheduling, their availability may change each semester making it difficult for some to commit.

SKILLS: What types of skills are needed for the volunteer role? We have a huge variety of different programs at KPU and students are coming to school learning different skills that they will be using in the workforce. Is there a direct connection between you opportunity and one of our programs, let the Volunteer Services Coordinator know so that program students might be targeted.

TIME: When is the volunteer opportunity taking place? There are certain times throughout the year that are more challenging for students:

• Midterms: Students often get very busy with assignments and exams in the middle of the semester.
• Final Exams: This happens in the last month of the semester (December, April, August)
  • Fall Semester: September to December
  • Spring Semester: January to April
  • Summer Semester: May to August

CAUSE. Make sure the benefits for the students are clear when marketing your opportunities to the students. Appealing to students’ values and passions is sure way to stand out from the crowd.

LEARNING: Many students use volunteering to bridge into a future career and are motivated by finding a position in which they can get hands-on learning in a transferable skill or utilize a skill that they already possess. Be sure to emphasize how your opportunity is unique and how you will teach new skills or recognize existing ones. Ask the Volunteer Services Coordinator for a list of learning objectives that all KPU graduates must possess.

Organizations are asked to include:

• Brief Job Description
• How to apply
• A contact email or phone number for questions
• Organization Mission/Cause
• Per week commitment
• Duration of position
• Start Date
• Learning Opportunities connected to the position

It's an opportunity for students to shop around for a volunteer and or job opportunity that matches them. Students looking for an opportunity to get involved in the community have the chance to check out this showcase of a wide variety of local organizations and meet their representatives. It is a highly anticipated event and students are always keen to find out more about how they can contribute to a cause they are passionate about! For more information you can click here