School Name

• English Learning Buddy Program

  Collingwood students in Grades 7 to 12 are invited to volunteer as a tutoring buddy for girls from low-income families in India, who aspire to speak English but do not have anyone within their families to practice speaking English with.

  Expected Time Commitment:  30 minutes per week for 10 weeks. Buddies and students will connect once a week via Zoom meetings.

  General duties include constructive feedback on pronunciation and comprehension.

  Students may sign up via the Google Form here.

  For more information, please One Prosper International.

• Loutet Farm Volunteer Drop-in Sessions for Youth

  Join the Edible Garden Project at North Vancouver's first urban farm for fun and engaging drop-i volunteer sessions. This spring, the Edible Garen Project is welcoming high school-aged youth to Loutet Farm to get hands-on with a small-scale agricultural operation contributing directly to local food security. COVID-19 safety protocols will be in effect. 
  
  Location: 1400 Rufus Avenue and 14th Street East

  • WEEKLY, on Monday afternoons from 3:00-5:00pm (except Stat holidays)

  • No registration required

  • Activities will vary depending on seasonal work needed, but will always be hands-on, and on-site at Loutet Farm

  • Secondary students may use this program towards volunteer hours needed to graduate

  • No prior gardening skills or knowledge necessary - training for all tasks and tools needed for the job are provided

  • No minimum time commitment required, although youth are encouraged to return each week
    
    For more information email schools@ediblegardenproject.com

• Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
  Students, families and small bubbles are encouraged to stay engaged in giving back to the community through clean-ups.  Anyone interested in doing a clean-up can log onto www.shorelinecleanup.ca to register and find areas in need throughout the city.

• WEST VAN PARKS NEEDS YOUR HELP
  Want to help our environment while getting outside and meeting great people? Become a West Van Park Steward by joining other passionate volunteers to remove invasive species, enhance habitat and restore natural areas. You can find out about upcoming park stewardship events and many other exciting volunteer opportunities in West Vancouver.
  
  As a volunteer, you will:
  • love your local parks and want to protect habitats and biodiversity for future generations to enjoy
  • are comfortable working outdoors, off the trail and on uneven ground in all kinds of weather
  • can be on your feet for a long period of time and are able to take part in gentle to moderate physical work
  • are 14 years of age or older

To become a volunteer, contact Volunteer Services at 604-925-2703 or volunteer@westvancouver.ca
 

• District of North Vancouver – Volunteer in a park
  Volunteers are needed to help care for and maintain trails, greenbelts, creeks, and neighbourhood parks.  As a volunteer, you can assist with ecological restoration, plant rescue, invasive species removal, trail building, and litter clean-up.

  If you’re interested in volunteering, please email the Trail and Habitat Coordinator at taylorgw@dnv.org
   

• Vancouver Food Runners
  Vancouver Food Runners partners with food retailers, nonprofit organizations, and volunteer food runners to bring food directly to those experiencing food insecurity.  If you can spare some time to deliver food to much-needed organizations, this is a great opportunity for families to engage in service together.

  To learn more or volunteer visit: https://www.vancouverfoodrunners.com/volunteer
   

• Hank’s Christmas Glitter
  Hank’s Christmas Glitter is a non-profit on the North Shore. Hank will personally pick up your recycling and turn it into gift cards for the homeless and hungry.

  Visit here for more information and to schedule a contactless pick-up.
   

• West Van BCSPCA
  The West Van BCSPCA is collecting donations of dry and wet cat food to help folks in our community who cannot afford food for their pets during this difficult time.
  
  Donations can be dropped off between 8:00am-5:00pm in the bin at the front door.

• Grad Class of 2021 Legacy Project
  
  This year's grad class has a year like no other. Change has come and will continue coming in many different ways. This is why, as a class, we felt that this year more than ever, that there are two issues that are incredibly prominent and important to us. It seemed clear to us that supporting people of colour and helping our community that was greatly affected by COVID 19 are causes we are passionate about and are very relevant to our year and the changes coming with it. This year, we decided to pair with United Way by supporting three different causes.  
  1. The Umoja Society is one of the causes we chose to back this year. The Umoja Society runs out of Surrey and supports immigrant children in an after school program called “School’s Out.” The program allows children who have come from traumatic experiences or are having a hard time adjusting to new life to open up through art and activities and make connections.
  2. The second cause we chose to support is Youth Mental Health for Newcomers and Refugees During COVID 19, also run out of Surrey. COVID 19 has taken an especially difficult toll on immigrant children and teens. The resources they depended on, such as community centres to allow them to learn English and make connections have been shut down. United Way works with 73 agencies to help combat the isolation these children and teens feel.
  3. The final cause we’ve decided to support is a food hub in the Downtown Eastside which provides specifically for sex workers and indigenous peoples. United Way delivers free meals to them as well as providing them with resources for housing, and COVID safety education. The food hub also pairs with two indigenous owned organizations (WISH, and Cedar Feast) to help support meal making elsewhere.

Combining support of youth, COVID 19 impacts, and people of colour allows every one of our grad class members to feel that they can choose an organization they feel passionate about. We hope to be able to get out and volunteer with these organizations as often as possible, but of course, restrictions due to COVID 19, will limit us in some ways. Regardless, we are excited to fundraise and volunteer with these three important causes through United Way with the support of Morven and Wentworth this school year!

The 2020-2021 Grad Executive Team
 

• Our Legacy Project

  Obakki is excited to continue our partnership with Collingwood School. 
  
  Your support has impacted lives across the globe and this year we are hoping to make an even larger impact.
  
  To offer Collingwood families even more ways to support the drilling of a water well in Africa, we've opened up our entire inventory of artisan-made products. Each time someone purchases an item from the Obakki website using the promo code "COLLINGWOOD", the net proceeds from that sale will go directly toward drilling a clean water well. 
  
  We will keep you updated with quarterly progress updates to ensure that the entire Collingwood community can share in the joy that comes from selflessly helping others.
  
  Together we can do this, with your support we can change lives. 
  
  Thank you from Obakki.