Volunteer Opportunities

Get Involved! 

As a volunteer, in addition to helping other students on campus, you can learn health skills and strategies for you own success, enhance your communication and presentation skills, plus meet other students who have similar interests.

In our aim to support the well-being of all Queen's students, we encourage equity deserving students to apply.  Volunteers with diverse lived experiences are vital to supporting equity deserving students' well-being and allows us to connect students with similar lived experience and develop a deeper understanding of what support is needed.  Students who are 2SLGBTQ+, BIPoC, racialized, have a disability and other equity deserving identities are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Applications for our 2024-25 volunteers are now closed.  We typically open our online applications in January, have them close mid-February and invite applicants to a group interview in March so selected volunteers can start in August/September.

Peer Health Educators (PHEs)

PHEs coordinate, plan, and facilitate a variety of health promotion initiatives and health education campaigns which are implemented online and on-campus.  Volunteers work in topic teams ranging from: healthy eating and healthy cooking, physical activity (beginner & intermediate running), financial literacy, rest & relaxation, safer substance use, sexual health, and mental fitness.  PHEs also help connect students with appropriate resources and supports on campus.

Commitment: 2 hours/week in both the fall and winter terms

Start Date: training in the late summer and outreach in September

Required Qualifications:

  • Interest in healthy lifestyle practices
  • Confident in ability to present relevant health information to a group of students
  • Able to approach and speak to students about relevant health issues
  • Comfortable working independently and in groups
  • Willing to work in a collaborative environment

As a PHE volunteer, you will be responsible for the following duties:

  • Provide accurate and current health information to students using a variety of strategies
  • Assist in the design and development of health promotion materials
  • Convey credible information to students about health resources & supports on campus

Trainings & Meetings:

  • Complete pre-training online modules before training sessions in September
  • Attend and actively participate in group training sessions (2-3 days in September and a half-day in January)
  • Participate in bi-weekly team meetings
  • Attend additional professional development opportunities as requested

Topic Teams:

  • Participate in regular topic team meetings and events
  • Help plan, design, and deliver relevant outreach for designated health topic area including developing social media content
  • Communicate progress on tasks with team members and team leader
  • Participate in and support collaborations with other topic teams

Campus Outreach:

  • Participate in organized online and/or in-person campus-wide outreach and promotional events
  • Signing up for shifts in advance, as well as picking up last minute shift requests
  • Actively prepare outreach, which could include facilitating workshops and booths upon request

Other Tasks:

  • Create and maintain an inclusive environment for all PHEs
  • Track all shifts and hours
  • Complete evaluation forms related to topic team, workshops, and outreach events
  • Complete mid-year peer to peer evaluations & on-going skills assessment
  • Discuss problem/concerns with Team Leaders and Coordinator as they arise

If you have any questions about the position or how to apply, please email bewell@queensu.ca.

Campus Observation Room (COR) Volunteers

COR volunteers promote safer alcohol use and reduce potential harm to intoxicated students by monitoring them under the supervision of a Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) staff in our on-site, non-medical detox service.

Commitment: All volunteers are expected to commit to 8 COR shifts (4 in COR and 4 on-call shifts) plus a minimum of 5 hours of educational outreach between August and March.  Shifts are 5 hours in length (9pm鈥2am or 2am-7am).  Volunteers are required to be available for at least one COR shift and one education shift during high peak times (i.e., Homecoming, Halloween, and St. Patrick鈥檚 Day).

Start Date: Training and shifts begin in early September

As a COR Volunteer, you will be responsible for the following duties:

  • Provide a safe, confidential, and non-judgemental environment for intoxicated students.
  • Under the direction of a trained professional Addictions Support Worker, assess and monitor intoxicated individuals.
  • Complete documentation and records as required during COR operations.
  • Implement infection control practices, including cleaning COR spaces and proper use of personal protective equipment.
  • Participate in COR education and outreach events to promote harm reduction at Queen鈥檚.
  • Support the development and distribution of COR social media and/or promotional campaigns.
  • Complete additional professional development throughout the year
  • Check Queen鈥檚 email/Slack regularly to respond to scheduling polls on time

You will be reporting to the Health Promotion Coordinator at Student Wellness Services and will also receive supervision and direction from the Student Team Leaders and the Addictions Support Workers staff team members.

You will be part of a vibrant team of students and staff who desire to support the well-being of their peers and learn specific hands-on skills. You will have opportunities to learn about non-medical detox processes, physiology related to substance use, mental health, harm reduction, and public health practices and theory. This is a unique volunteer position that provides a valuable hands-on learning experience.

Volunteers refine communication skills, gain experience managing emergencies or challenging situations, and provide client-centered non-judgmental care. Many COR volunteers use this experience to support future career goals in the helping or health care field, including nursing, medicine, rehabilitation therapy, mental health and addictions, but all fields of study and career paths are welcomed and can bring unique skills which contribute to the goals of COR. We welcome all applicants.

Required Qualifications:

  • Current Queen鈥檚 student, who plans to return to Queen鈥檚 in the fall, in any field of study.
  • Current Emergency First Aid and CPR certification (level 鈥淎, B or C鈥) or a willingness to get certified prior to the start of the next academic year.  *Note: All successful volunteers can receive financial support to reimburse the costs to complete this certification.
  • Able to complete virtual and in-person COR volunteer training.
  • Able to uphold the 3 pillars of COR 鈥 confidential, non-judgmental, and voluntary at all times.
  • Able to communicate respectfully with individuals who are intoxicated.
  • Excellent oral communication skills.
  • Possess the ability to maintain client and statistical data and records.
  • Able to work well independently and as part of a team.
  • Able to work in a collaborative environment.
  • Able to meet deadlines and uphold commitments.

Preferred Qualifications In addition to the required qualifications, it would be ideal if candidates possessed the following assets:

  • Knowledge of health communication, and experience using social media platforms to communicate with Queen鈥檚 students.
  • Creativity and familiarity with graphic design platforms (Canva, Photoshop etc.)
  • Experience with Harm Reduction programs or theory is an asset but is not required.
  • Experience with persons in crisis situations is an asset, but not required.
  • Experience with first aid/emergency response is an asset, but not required.

If you have any questions about the position or how to apply, please email cor@queensu.ca.

Peer Wellness Coach (PWC)

Peer Wellness Coaches help students set specific movement behaviour goals in the areas of light physical activity (step), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (sweat), sedentary time (sit) and/or sleep. You will be responsible for empowering students to achieve their goals by helping them identify barriers and develop strategies to overcome them so they are better able to maintain motivation.  You will also provide students with credible information about health resources and supports on campus to support a healthy campus community. 

Commitment: 2-5 hours per week during the fall and winter academic terms

Start Date: training in late summer, starting shifts in September  

As a Peer Wellness Coach, you will also be responsible for the following duties:

  • Meet 1-on-1 with clients on weekly or bi-weekly basis.
  • Schedule and track client appointments.
  • Development and distribute promotional materials.
  • Seek out relevant resources and refer students to support when needed.
  • Other duties as required.  

You will be reporting to professional staff within Health Promotion at Student Wellness Services. You will be part of a vibrant team with training and professional development opportunities to grow your health behaviour change knowledge, communication skills and experience working one-on-one with students.

Required Qualifications

  • Current Queen鈥檚 student enrolled in a part-time or full-time undergraduate or graduate program
  • Diverse lived experience and understanding of experiences of equity deserving students  
  • Interest in evidence-based healthy lifestyle practices
  • Possess the ability to maintain client records.

Candidates must possess the following qualifications: 

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills.  
  • Works well independently and as part of a team.
  • Knowledge of social media platforms.
  • Experience working with groups, departments and/or faculties on campus.

 
If you have any questions about the position or how to apply, please us by email at pwc@queensu.ca