Volunteer

Are you interested in supporting MWC’s mission? 

Volunteering with us is a great way to gain valuable skills to add to your resume, meet interesting and like-minded people, and contribute to our mission. A list of existing volunteering opportunities is presented below:

1) Board members

Board members are responsible for governing MWC to foster our organizational vision, growth, and wellbeing. We welcome committed current or former migrant workers, community members and professionals to apply to be Board members.

Responsibilities

• Attending Board and Committee meetings 
• Establishing and evaluating the organization’s strategic direction
• Ensuring the financial health of the organization
• Ensuring the organization has sufficient and appropriate human resources
• Monitoring the organization’s performance  

Time Commitment

Your agreement will need to be for at least one year. In that year, you will be expected to attend six Board meetings of about 2 hours per year; four of these are virtual and two of them will be in person (travel expenses will be covered). You are expected to read meeting materials beforehand. Board members are also encouraged to join a Committee.

2) Committee members 

The Board of Directors for MWC has several Committees that discuss and guide the organisation in the following areas:

• Advocacy: this Committee is comprised of representatives of partner organisations, migrant workers, and other allies. The group meets on a monthly basis (virtually, in the evenings) to discuss policy advocacy and law reform in favour of migrant workers. This Committee informs MWC’s overall advocacy strategy and actions.
• Legal: this Committee is comprised of lawyers and other legal professionals from ally organisations. The group meets twice a year to discuss MWC’s law reform and test case litigation strategy.
• Finance: this Committee is led by our Treasurer and reviews MWC’s budget, financial performance, and fundraising strategy. The group meets on a quarterly basis (virtually, in the evenings) and provides oversight over MWC’s financial performance.
• People: this Committee is led by our Board Secretary and reviews all staff policies and the performance of MWC staff. The group meets twice a year to review any policy changes and to manage our Executive Director’s performance evaluation.
• Community Development: this Committee is comprised of migrant workers, volunteers, and other allies. The group meets on an ad-hoc basis to plan events and community gatherings.

Responsibilities 

• Attend Committee meetings
•  Contribute ideas and work towards the Committee’s goals
• Help organize and attend fundraising events  

Time Commitment

Your agreement will need to be for at least one year. In that year, you will be expected to attend over half of Committee meetings (most will be virtual and in the evenings, lasting 1-2 hours)

3) Legal volunteers

Working with our staff lawyers and legal advocates, law student and lawyer volunteer roles can include conducting legal research, drafting submissions in support of our case work, and developing public legal information and education materials. 

Responsibilities 

• Will vary depending on our specific agreement; usually will require a reasonable response time after a request has been made, though these tend not to be urgent

Time Commitment

Minimum commitment of 2-5 hours per month; Maximum commitment of 7.5 hours per week  

4) Volunteer Translators

Volunteer translators help MWC by translating short documents for staff and on behalf of migrant workers. We are interested in all languages, with a particular interest in Spanish, Tagalog, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Arabic. You will need to pass a brief written language competency test to ensure that you have the necessary skills.

Responsibilities 

• Providing accurate written translations of brief documents
• Responding quickly to translation requests
• Maintaining confidentiality and following MWC’s code of conduct

Time Commitment

Up to 2 hours per week. Translations should be completed within 48 hours once accepted.

5) Volunteer Interpreters

Volunteer interpreters support MWC by providing live interpretation for meetings. You will need to pass a brief verbal language competency test to ensure that you have the necessary skills.

Responsibilities 

• Offering accurate oral interpretation during meetings (virtual or in-person)
• Responding quickly to interpretation requests
• Maintaining confidentiality and following MWC’s code of conduct

Time Commitment

Up to 2 hours per week. Volunteers are expected to attend meetings on time once they have committed.

6) Donating your services to migrant workers at a community event

You can support migrant workers by donating your skills and time to migrant workers. Examples of this includes providing hair cuts, massages, training on relevant skills for the workers, preparing food, etc.

7) Other volunteer opportunities

We are interested in volunteers interested in developing skills in Communications and media, event planning, logistical support (driving workers to and from events), and administration.

We are not able to take on volunteers interested in peer support, social work, community outreach, and other front-line work as we do not have the capacity to properly train and supervise volunteers in doing this sensitive work.