Tag Archives: Volunteering

Coming up… The SLC!

Unlike the rest of the UBC Blog Squad, I decided to volunteer to be a part of the Student Leadership Conference instead of attending as a delegate. I thought I’d get a different experience, y’know?

SLC Volunteer T-Shirt

Also, I get to wear this cool t-shirt. Volunteers at this year’s SLC will be wearing purple and blue t-shirts, just FYI. 🙂

As a volunteer, I had to attend a volunteer work party. No no, it’s not like your employees’ annual Christmas party, but more like an orientation where we also do some menial-but-time-consuming-and-also-sort-of-important tasks in preparation for this Saturday. It was more fun than it sounds like, I swear!

Only after we did all that work did I realize how much there was to organizing the SLC.  On the dry erase boards in the CSI&C there’s a giant list of things that need to be done by Saturday. So much stuff to do! At the volunteer party, we only helped out with a fraction of it. So it’s pretty amazing that everything will be running smoothly this Saturday (er, knock on wood). Huffah for the SLC planning committee!

The best thing about the work party is that it reminded me about how awesome it is to get involved. Although I’m not going to be attending any of the much-anticipated presentations (Paul’s especially excited), I think it’s going to be fun working behind the scenes and making things happen!

Hopefully I’ll see y’all there? 🙂

Psssst. You can still register to attend the SLC right… here!

Got a flu shot yesterday!

Yay for tidbits about Courtney!

On Saturday mornings, I volunteer at a residential care centre in Burnaby called St. Michaels.  I’m part of the manicures program there, which basically means I get to file and paint the nails of the residents there.  Well mostly women, obviously.

Anyways, since I’m part of the health care service I have to take part in all the sanitary regulations.  This includes either getting a flu shot or wearing a mask around the residents.  I opted for the flu vaccination, because it was free and why not?

But now my arm is hurting and I can only lift it to about shoulder height.  I don’t regret it though, because I’d really rather not get sick when final exams roll around.  I feel invincible now!

Taking steps to getting involved

Congratulations! We would like to offer you the opportunity to be a part of KIN Week.

Yay! Upon the sight of this, I did a happy jig. Well of course not on the outside. I limited myself to loud squealing and gushing only.  I applied to be one of the coordinators for UBC’s first ever KIN Week, and as you can see, I got the position!  I’m actually a little proud of myself.

It’s surprisingly easy to get involved. You don’t have to do much—just find something that interests you!  Maybe that means sports, or politics, or volunteering, or even clubbing 😉 It’s up to you! If you’re anything like me and you find talking to authorities figures terrifying a little intimidating, then simply do your research online.  There are tons of online resources out there for you to discover—here are some places you can find some neat volunteering and job oppurtunities!

  1. UBC FYI is a great place to start! Not only do they post about the cool going-ons around campus, but on the side there are links to excellent (UBC-owned) sites that can help you find your niche! I found out about Blog Squad through here. 🙂
  2. Your undergraduate faculty site! For me, it’s the KUS, but everyone has a different one!
  3. Facebook. No, no, I don’t mean stalking people! I’m talking about following pages of clubs and societies that you’re interested in—that way, you won’t miss opportunities as they arise.
  4. Need a job? Find one here.
  5. If you’re interested in the volunteering and leadership side of things, browse around the Centre for Student Involvement.  There’s tons of information there.  A mind-numbing amount, actually, so you might be better off just walking into the centre in-person.

Alright, I realize that most of these sites are UBC-owned.  But this is what I’m thinking: I chose to go to UBC, so I’m going to be a part of UBC.  Not just a random student fumbling through school, but a real, valuable member of the community! So using the resources available through the school to me—and you—isn’t a problem at all 🙂