Get involved

Explore your interests, enhance your experience.

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It’s not just about giving—every experience you have builds valuable skills that will come in handy when you’re ready to take on whatever comes next. Getting involved in a community at UBC isn’t necessarily a distraction from your studies either. Feeling connected to others on-campus will improve your academics and help you build your network.

So find a way to get involved—you’ll notice yourself change, you’ll see the impact of your work, and you’ll make this campus a better place.

Reading break volunteer opportunities

Get involved and give back during Reading Week! Volunteer with other UBCO students and help out in your community. Registration is now closed, check back in the fall of 2024 for more opportunities.

 

 

Have questions? We can help

At UBCO, we have dedicated Get Involved leaders who organize volunteer opportunities on and off campus during the academic year to provide supported and guided first experiences for those new to volunteering or new to the Okanagan. Leaders can also offer coaching and support in developing your own initiative or creating an event.

Aside from volunteering, Get Involved leaders can help you promote opportunities, events, and organizations and aid in volunteer recruitment efforts.

Get involved on campus

Did you know there are more than 600 student volunteer positions available on campus?

Options are available for students from all academic programs and areas of interest, no matter what level of previous work experience you may have. Volunteering on campus can help you develop skills, build your resume, give back to the community, and network with campus partners—all in one place.

Resources

Sign up for our Get Involved newsletter

Our newsletter is the best way to stay in the loop on the latest ways to Get Involved. Sign up now to be the first to hear about new opportunities.

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Community Service Learning

Get involved with off-campus community organizations while benefiting from UBC guidance and support.

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UBCO Student Job Board

Community members on and off campus often post positions on our Job Board.

Browse postings

UBCSUO Student Associations

Clubs and course unions are great ways to explore your areas of interest on campus.

Clubs provide an opportunity to connect with groups of students who share your interests.

Course unions are groups of students studying the same major who develop programs and activities that relate to your degree.

Browse the directory

Work for The Phoenix News

Our student newspaper offers anywhere from 15–30 student jobs each year, some paid and some volunteer. Positions range from overall leadership positions to graphic or print design, section editing, illustration, writing/reporting via print or video, video editing, events, outreach/promotion; and, of course, copy editing.

Check it out

UBCSUO COMMITTEES

There are a variety of ways to get involved with your Students’ Union. Committees include Campaigns Committee, Campus Life Committee, Oversight Committee, Policy Committee, Student Association Funding Committee, and Ad Hoc Committees.

Learn more

Volunteer on campus

Volunteering provides students with valuable career-related work experience through opportunities to get involved, gain practical training, and participate in professional development within a vibrant volunteer community.

Learn more

Get involved off campus

Getting involved off campus allows you not only to explore a larger variety of opportunities, it allows you to explore more specific opportunities as well. Join community programs to learn more about yourself, who is in your community, and what sparks your passion.

Resources

Kelowna Community Resources

Kelowna Community Resources is a community agency created to provide information about events and activities in the Okanagan, as well as bring together not-for-profit agencies with the volunteers that would best match them. Check out their online volunteer opportunities database.

Learn more

DoSomeGood

DoSomeGood is a Community Engagement platform that brings volunteers, charitable organizations, and businesses together to build stronger and more connected communities. Visit the website to learn how you can make a collective impact.

DoSomeGood

Student Job Board

Outside organizations are directed to the UBC Job Board to post jobs and volunteer opportunities so this is a great place to check out often.

Browse opportunities

Castanet

Castanet is a local website that includes many active job and volunteer listings.

Check it out

Choosing a volunteer opportunity

The key to success is to find opportunities that match your skills, interests, and availability. An opportunity description contains details to help you decide if a volunteer position is right for you. Usually, the opportunity description includes a link to the organization’s webpage. Reading the mission statement and visiting the organization’s website will help you decide whether or not you would like to support the organization and its activities.

In addition to carefully reading the opportunity description and other information provided by the organization, we recommend you consider the following:

Type of organization

Would you like to support a community-based grassroots organization, a national or international NGO, a local government, or a United Nations agency? When making your choice, consider that organizations’ needs, capacities, resources, communication styles and experience with online volunteer management are as diverse as organization types.

Development topic

Is there a cause you would like to support? Do you find a specific approach towards development particularly effective? Your convictions are an important factor in determining the success of your engagement in an assignment.

Time commitment

How much time per week would you like to devote to volunteering? Would you like to get involved in a long-term project, or would you rather commit to a short-term assignment with a fixed end date? The amount of time indicated in the opportunity description serves as an estimate by the organization and gives you an idea of the task’s anticipated time frame.

Tasks and skills

What tasks do you enjoy undertaking? What skills would you like to share with an organization to support their development work? You may opt to use your professional expertise to support a worthwhile cause, or you may prefer to engage in a task that differs from your everyday job. It is perfectly acceptable to search for an opportunity that will enhance your skills or allow you to gain experience, as long as you are confident that you are able to complete the assignment successfully.

Ready to volunteer? Contact the Get Involved team at getinvolved.ubco@ubc.ca to get started.

Contact us and get involved

Email: getinvolved.ubco@ubc.ca
Facebook: @ubcgetinvolved