Recruiting uOttawa Volunteers

Student Group projects

• Students in the Telfer School of Management can help organizations that wish to be globally competitive in connecting global sustainability strategies and performance appraisals to training needs.
• Engineering students in the new Multidisciplinary Design program can create and run small hands-on design projects by researching and designing an effective solution to a community identified challenge or need using application areas that involve engineering and other fields (e.g. arts, social science, business management). 
• Students in the Telfer School of Management can provide strategic recommendations on how organizations can embrace innovative business models to tackle major challenges, such as resource scarcity, environmental degradation and climate change. 

Individual Placement 

• Engineering students in the new Multidisciplinary Design program are motivated to contribute 50+ hours to data analysis and visualization, coding, app or website development, AI solutions and sustainability projects.
• Biology students can assist in species conservation and/or help study interactions between living and non-living elements within the ecosystems that shape the environment. 
• Sport Management students can critically analyze the impact of sport regulations and contexts on how sports and sport organizations are managed (e.g., strategy, marketing, human resource management).
• Anthropology students can assist in various organizational aspects of programs that work directly with and for Indigenous communities. 

Community Service Learning (CSL) program 

Community Service Learning (CSL) is a credited educational experience that (1) is conducted as part of a course, during which (2) students participate in structured volunteer activities designed to meet community needs and (3) critically reflect on their in-community placement learning, to develop a better understanding of class materials and their field of study. 

Read more about CSL. 

Career Development Path for international students

This partnership aims to give international students the necessary tools and skills to overcome the challenges of integrating into the job market in Canada.

Throughout the 2024 spring-summer and fall terms, students will participate in internships, micro-placements, competitions, events, community-based or industrial projects, or community research and will thus contribute to the missions of our partner organizations. Through your participation, you will not only have access to innovative solutions, but also gain more visibility and create new collaborations. 

Read more about the Career Development Path for international students.

Extracurricular volunteering 

Extracurricular volunteering (EV) takes place during students’ personal time and is not part of any course. EV opportunities are available to the entire student community (unlike CSL, which is only available to students enrolled in courses that have a CSL component). Volunteer opportunities are promoted throughout the year. However, more students are available during the academic year, which runs from early September to mid-April. 

We work with over 600 local, national and international community partners, 300 per term on average. Our current community partners include:

• not-for-profit organizations 
• sections and units in all types of government, public and broader public sector entities (including public school boards and schools) 
• faculties, departments, services, centres, student associations and clubs affiliated with the University of Ottawa 
• other universities and colleges
• social enterprises

Please note that private sector businesses and organizations are not eligible. 

• Contribute to their education by giving them the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they’ve learned in class.
• Give advice to help them carry out their duties and provide feedback on their performance. 
• Sign off on volunteer hours performed and complete a short online evaluation of their work.