Did you know…?
Did you know that Québec is home to over 2 million volunteers? They contribute in a positive way to Québec’s development and their work deserves recognition. Why not join this huge mutual-help network, by becoming a volunteer?
Apathetic youth? Think again!
Did you know that close to half (48%) of young Quebecers aged 15 to 24 take part in volunteer activities, devoting an average of 116 hours per year to worthy causes? [Statistics Canada, Caring Canadians, Involved Canadians: Highlights from the 2007 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (Ottawa: 2007), page 85]. Young people want to contribute to community well-being and they see their efforts as a form of citizen commitment rather than volunteer work. Volunteering has a number of advantages for young people. Among other things, it is a chance for them to find out more about themselves, develop their talents and become part of new social networks that can help them enter the labour market.
For more information, see the folder for young people 
(447 kb) .
Volunteering: A key to successful integration
For newcomers, volunteer work can be an opportunity to facilitate social integration and to find out about the Québec labour market. It also provides an opportunity to improve language skills. It can serve as a springboard to employment by helping people acquire new skills and develop talents. While the percentage of newcomers who engage in volunteer activities is similar to the percentage of volunteers among the general population, immigrants devote slightly more hours per year to volunteering than Canadians born in the country, i.e., 171 hours versus 163 hours (data taken from the 2007 edition of the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating).
For more information, see the folder for newcomers (671 kb)
Seniors: Champion volunteers
Did you know that seniors are the people who devote the greatest number of hours to volunteer activities? Each volunteer aged 65 or over spends an average of 268 hours per year doing volunteer work. Over a quarter (26%) of seniors are involved in a wide variety of volunteer activities — a chance for them to pass on their skills, discover new interests and socialize with other people. Volunteering makes seniors feel useful to their community and allows them to share their knowledge in a flexible framework adapted to their availability.
For more information, see the folder for seniors (785 kb).
