International Year of Volunteers in Canada

IYV 2001 ä Declared by United Nations ä Canadian government supported the request to UN for IYV ä Over 100 countries participating

IYV IN CANADA ä Partnership between government and voluntary sector ä Department of Canadian Heritage, Human Resources Development Canada, and Volunteer Canada are co-leads ä Government of Canada has committed $7.7 million to IYV activities

VOLUNTEERING IN CANADA ä 6.5 M Canadians volunteer (27%) ä Contribution valued at $16 billion annually ä Volunteer time donated = 578,000 full-time jobs = labour force of Manitoba

IYV OBJECTIVES IN CANADA 1. Celebrate volunteerism 2. Promote volunteering for all 3. Expand the definition of volunteerism in Canada 4. Improve voluntary organizations’ capacity to involve volunteers 5. Develop the voluntary sector research base

PROGRESS: PROMOTION/CELEBRATION ä I Volunteer Social Marketing Campaign  campaign materials used across Canada by thousands of organizations  interactive, adaptable concept allows organizations to tailor photos and volunteer statements to their needs = increased engagement and meaning  over two million promotional products distributed through IYV superstore  campaign concept adopted by IYV Secretariat in Queensland, Australia

PROGRESS: PROMOTION/CELEBRATION ä and Toll-Free Line  web site received approximately 20,000 unique visitors per month  10,000 documents downloaded from site  IYV screen saver downloaded over 5,000 times ä IYV Kits  100,000 IYV launch kits distributed to date  IYV planning toolkits sent to 200 Volunteer Centres

PROGRESS: PROMOTION/CELEBRATION ä Power of Many Video  shown at meetings and conferences across Canada and internationally (United States, Netherlands, Germany, etc.) ä Power of Many PSA  60 and 90 second versions produced  sent to Volunteer Centres for distribution to community cable TV stations ä Resolve to Be Involved PSA 30 second radio spots reflecting “I Will Volunteer 2002” Campaign

PROGRESS: PROMOTION/CELEBRATION ä Dec. 5, 2000 Launch Event ä IYV Communications Toolkits ä IYV Recognition Certificates ä Global Youth Service Day (April 21) ä National Volunteer Week (April 22-29)

PROGRESS: PROMOTION/CELEBRATION ä National Youth Summit (April 26 th – 29 th ) ä 2001 Forum on Volunteerism ä Special release of the National Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating – August 2001 ä December 5 th, “ Resolve to be Involved” campaign launch ä Commemorative IYV Dime ä Canada Post Catalogue Insert

PROGRESS: CAPACITY-BUILDING ä Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement ä A Matter of Design ä Re-Thinking Volunteer Engagement ä Volunteer Connections – 1)New Strategies for Involving Youth 2)The Benefits and Challenges of Employee Volunteerism 3)New Strategies for Involving Older Adults 4)Creating an Accessible and Inclusive Environment

PROGRESS: RESEARCH ä IYV Research Program  led by Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, consultations with voluntary sector and literature review determined priority areas for research in Canada  RFP process led to funding 13 research projects on volunteerism