There are many ways to contribute to the world around you. One of the more effective ways to do so is through volunteering.
Many of us would like to volunteer but don't have the one resource we need - time. This prevents us from fully experiencing the joy of putting our efforts to the service of others. Volunteers invest in improving the lives of others, often with little or no incentive. Often, impactful opportunities that allow one to make a meaningful contribution require an ongoing commitment of one's time, energy, and ability to contribute wholeheartedly to the space in which they volunteer.
From Volunteer to Mentor
Take, for instance, the Imani Black Academic Program (Imani), which supports an eco-system of Black UTSC undergraduate students to mentor Black youth in high schools and middle schools around the Eastern GTA and inspire them to pursue post-secondary studies.
In 2021-22, a year filled with pandemic-related challenges, Imani provided mentorship to 94 individuals, including 65 secondary students across seven schools in Scarborough and 29 UTSC undergraduate mentors and mentors-in-training.
These undergraduates lead busy lives with coursework, athletics, job schedules and social engagements, yet they do everything they can to take responsibility for the advancement of their community and give back in ways that truly impact future generations. The purpose and fulfilment that being an Imani mentor brings is evident in the number of mentees-turned-mentors, as well as those who mentor successively throughout the course of their undergraduate journey at UTSC.
Many of these volunteer mentors walk a financial tightrope to balance the cost of their education and living expenses. Still, they go out of their way to inspire students who face systemic problems such as food insecurity, housing insecurity, and other forms of marginalization to have the confidence and dream of a better life through higher education. When mentors are dealing with these stressful realities themselves in an increasingly expensive world, doing so consistently and authentically without financial support is a daunting task.
And this is where WE can make a difference.
Volunteering to Empower Volunteers
Programs like Imani – which means “faith” in Swahili – create an environment for everyone to play a positive role in the holistic upliftment of our society. Even though only undergrad students can act as mentors to the youth, by supporting these students through our generosity, we can ensure that some of their financial stressors are alleviated. This would empower them to continue their phenomenal work of fostering faith in the minds of youngsters who hold the potential to be future leaders of our world. By giving to Imani, we, too, can add our offerings to the realization of a more inclusive tomorrow.
This National Volunteer Week, consider investing in Imani and UTSC’s shared vision of a more equitable and just world, for that sense of satisfaction which only comes by bringing smiles to the faces of those who shoulder the responsibility of ushering in a new era.