• AfterSchool Age Care (5-12yrs)
  The School Age Care Assistant works as part of a team to provide care and an educational support program for children aged 5 to 12 years in a group setting. School Age Care has a wide range of opportunities available in 1–2-hour increments between 7:30am-9:30am and 2:30pm-6pm which can include: Drop-off and pick-up of children from neighbourhood elementary schools, as well as spending time with children in a before/afterschool setting. Tasks include providing a warm and welcoming presence for each child, participating actively in all program activities, and ensuring all materials used are put away and the work/play area is clean. Drop-off and pick-up volunteers must be able to provide mature guidance to children.

• 3 – 5 Care (3-5yrs)
  The 3 – 5 Care Assistant works as part of a team to provide care and an educational support program for children aged 3 to 5 years in a group setting. 3-5 Care has opportunities available in 1–2-hour increments between 9am-11:30am and 1pm-5pm. Tasks include providing a warm and welcoming presence for each child, participating actively in all program activities, and preparing fruits and snacks for snack-time. Volunteers in this program must enjoy spending time with toddlers and be able to handle some noise and crying. Volunteers are NOT responsible for toileting or diaper changes.

• Infant/Toddler Care (6mo-3yrs)
  The Infant/Toddler Care Assistant works as part of a team to provide care and an educational support program for children aged 6 months to 3 years in a group setting. 3-5 Care has opportunities available in 1–2-hour increments between 9am-11:30am and 1pm-5pm. Tasks include providing a warm and welcoming presence for each child and participating actively in all program activities. Volunteers in this program must enjoy spending time with infants and be able to handle some noise and crying. Volunteers are NOT responsible for diaper changes.

• Art & Pottery Programs
  The School Age Art & Pottery Program Assistant supports children in unlocking their creativity while they learn the techniques of a variety of visual art such as drawing, painting, journalling, watercolouring, mixed media or pottery, under the direction of an Art Instructor. Tasks include providing warm, energetic, and engaging presence with children and sometimes their families, taking direction from the instructor, taking lead when the instructor’s attention is needed elsewhere and supporting with set-up and clean-up of activities. Art & Pottery Programs take place for 1-2 hours weekly. Volunteers are asked to commit to the entire semester of the program and must enjoy working with children in art and/or pottery activities; basic knowledge of art & pottery is recommended but not essential.

• Sports Programs
  The School Age Sports Program Assistant supports children while they learn the initial skills of a variety of sports under the direction of the Sport Instructor. Tasks include providing warm, energetic, and engaging presence with children and sometimes their families, taking direction from the instructor, taking lead when the instructor’s attention is needed elsewhere and supporting with set-up and clean-up of activities. Youth Sports Programs take place for 1-2 hours weekly. Volunteers are asked to commit to the entire semester of the program and must enjoy working with children in sports activities; basic knowledge of rules of play is recommended but not essential.

• Sports Birthday Party
  The Sports Birthday Party Assistant supports all elements of a birthday party, including games, activities, crafts, food, and present opening for children aged 5-12 years. Tasks include providing warm, energetic, and engaging presence with children and their families, participating in games and activities, encouraging all guests to participate, ensuring Safe Play, and supporting with some set-up and clean-up of activities. Sport Birthday Parties take place for 2 hours at 9:45am and/or 12:15pm on Sundays. The minimum age requirement for volunteers supporting Sport Birthday Parties is 14+.

• Pre-Teen Dances
  The Pre-Teen Dance Volunteer supports the Youth Team in executing Parkgate’s Pre-Teen Dances which take place monthly on Saturdays from 6pm-10pm. Tasks include providing a warm, energetic, and engaging presence with the participants, running a station (i.e., Check-in, Games Room, Karaoke, Trivia Island, Dance Area) and helping with set-up and clean-up of the event. The preferred age range for volunteers in this position is 16-24 years, ensuring that participants feel safe to gain independence and grow more accountable without parental or older adult presence. Additionally, volunteers must not have a younger sibling registered for the dance that they wish to volunteer at.

• Community Lunch Cooking Team
  The Community Kitchen Assistant works as part of a team of volunteers to prepare, plate and serve quality meals to the community, under the direction and supervision of the Seniors Kitchen Coordinator. Community Kitchen Assistants volunteer every other Wednesday from 8am – 2pm. Tasks include all elements of preparing a meal such as chopping ingredients, cooking, plating food, greeting, and serving all community members, and set-up and clean-up of the kitchen and dining area. Kitchen hygiene and food safety procedures must always be practiced. Basic culinary knowledge is recommended but not required.

• Seniors Programs Coffee Carts
  The Seniors Program Coffee Cart Assistant generally works independently to set up coffee/tea carts for community groups participating in Parkgate programs throughout the week. Tasks include preparing coffee, tea and treats on a cart and delivering it to the program room. Volunteers can select one or multiple dates and programs to set up. Coffee carts typically take 30 minutes to 1 hour to set up depending on the timeslot and how many participants are in the programs. If you can stay to clean up after the program, that would be appreciated but is not required to take on this opportunity.

• Seniors Programs Kitchen Clean-up
  The Seniors Program Kitchen Clean-up Assistant works independently to clean-up coffee/tea carts, the kitchen and program rooms for those participating in Parkgate programs throughout the day. Tasks include gathering all coffee/tea carts, washing cups, dishes, utensils, and carafes using an industrial dishwasher, sanitizing counters and chairs, ensuring all dishes are put away and the closing of the kitchen for the evening. Kitchen Clean-up Volunteers are asked to commit to one day a week for 1-2 hours, the start time is flexible between 2pm and 5pm.

• Community Day (September)
• Winter Lights (December)
• Summer BBQs (July/August)
• New Events

Special Event Assistants support large-scale and sometimes small-scale events that occur every few months on multiple levels and capacities for 4-5 hours per event. Monthly newsletters notify volunteers about upcoming events that require Special Event Assistant support in which volunteers can offer their support as they occur. Tasks can range from set-up, supporting specific booths run by the Youth, Childcare and Seniors Programs, helping with food preparation and service as well as clean-up. Providing support during Special Events differs slightly depending on the event but requires the volunteer to be flexible and proactive as needs may change and fluctuate throughout the event day.