CAREER MENTOR/ EXPERT SPEAKER
Status: Part time, ongoing
Time Investment: Typically half a day
About JA Central Ontario
Here at JA Central Ontario, we prepare youth for life, for meaningful work and for an opportunity to do good in the world. We help young people go from saying ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’ through our immersive, digitally-enabled learning experiences.
Students learn practical skills like budgeting, saving and starting a business - but they also learn adaptability, creativity, problem-solving and a host of interpersonal tools too. They also meet industry experts and mentors - adult allies who can help them envision their future.
We’re all about skill building – minus sleeping through the boring parts. Because with JA, there are no boring parts.
Purpose of the role
JA Central Ontario is looking for enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to support students through JA Events. JA engages volunteers from the local business community to add value to the student experience by sharing industry insights and expertise. If you’re passionate about helping youth in your community, this opportunity will be a valuable volunteer experience!
JOIN US AS A MENTOR/EXPERT SPEAKER VOLUNTEER(opens in new tab)
Share your professional experience, knowledge and expertise with a new generation - empowering them to realize their potential and shape the future.
How it works
Joining a JA educational event, you'll share your career journey and experiences with student participants. During these events, students in grades 9-12 will hear from a range of speakers from a whole host of industries and backgrounds. You'll share your stories, outline your career path and answer student questions. This is a fantastic opportunity to inspire young people as they are thinking about their futures.
What do you wish you had known in high school? What advice would you give to your younger self? What is the most exciting thing about the world of work? Help students answer these questions and much more by volunteering with JA Central Ontario!
You will have the option of attending either a virtual or in-person event.
WANT TO VOLUNTEER WITH YOUR EMPLOYER OR IN A GROUP?
We partner with a variety of organizations to deliver our programs, from professional associations, small businesses and entrepreneurs to global corporations. Your commitment to the next generation through your employer or as part of a larger group helps us impact even more students through generous funding and employee/member volunteer hours.
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- Have a good understanding of the learning experiences and be able to speak with knowledge on the topic
- A passion for working with children and youth
- Confident presenting in-person
- Relevant work and/or educational experience
- Strong communication skills that are effective with children and youth
- Must be fluent in English
- Must be 18 years of age or older
PROGRAM EVENTS INCLUDE
1. Empowering Young Women
2. Careers Unlimited
3. World of Choices
4. Field Trips (Corporate offices)
5. Summits
Volunteer Requirements
- Complete vulnerable sector screening and review the JA Volunteer Code of Conduct.
- We are committed to ensuring a safe learning environment for young people and therefore a vulnerable sector screening is a requirement for all volunteers of JA Central Ontario as well as all school boards with whom we work. After registering, JA will provide you with exact instructions to ease this process.
- Attend an online training session.
- Practice before you're live and in-person! JA provides the suggested talking points and themes that you need to make this an amazing learning experience.
- Completing an online survey and sharing feedback about your experience
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
- JA provides presentation content, engagement outline, and/or an agenda as applicable.
- JA provides an outline including presentation guidelines and best practices.
- Volunteers should be able to commit approximately 2-5 hours of their time for this volunteer opportunity, but lesson timing is dependent on the lesson/activity.
