Volunteer organizations and causes

August 12, 2004 8:27 PM

I want to start doing some volunteer work. Can anyone give me some suggestions as to organizations or causes? My preferences are that it’s something in Toronto, that it’s political or sociological in nature, that it’s project-oriented rather than long-term, and that it involves meeting lots of people.
posted by orange swan to Society & Culture (8 answers total)

Idealist allows you to search volunteer opportunities by country and city. Under "Advanced searches" on the right, click on "volunteer opportunities." You can even pick begin and end dates and areas of focus (examples of the many areas of focus: "children and community," "government oversight and reform," "seniors and retirement issues," "spiritual and metaphysical issues").
posted by croutonsupafreak at 9:02 PM on August 12, 2004

See also: www.volrap.org which is the Toronto Volunteer Center.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:36 PM on August 12, 2004

I don't know about Toronto, but I found ESL tutoring very fulfilling, in a very direct way. There are people whose lives cannot improve without better English. Eventually I'm sure you could teach the tutors, or organize a program.
posted by argybarg at 12:09 AM on August 13, 2004

numerical literacy tutoring is another option (obviously, if you're an arts person esl would be more appropriate...).
posted by andrew cooke at 7:02 AM on August 13, 2004

Mighty Girl has suggested some volunteer from home opportunities and some deserving charities. Perhaps these will spark some ideas.
posted by Songdog at 9:21 AM on August 13, 2004

that it’s political or sociological in nature, that it’s project-oriented rather than long-term, and that it involves meeting lots of people.
Do you know your community politicians? Ask them if you can volunteer your time to them. I did this for a US Congressman during his election campaign. If they have interns working for them you may work under their guidance. Then you may go out into the field and work with other organizations which the politician supports.
posted by thomcatspike at 10:36 AM on August 13, 2004

Check out which film festivals go on in Toronto, and when. There's usually much volunteering to be done, and I'll bet most of the folks involved will be reasonably cultured types.
posted by scarabic at 11:41 AM on August 13, 2004

You might consider getting involved in some of the actions of the Ontario Coalition against Poverty. They do a lot of different things ... best way to find out about them is to peruse their website a bit and maybe join their listserve (rather low volume) if you like what you see.
posted by louigi at 1:03 PM on August 13, 2004