Tweenage Volunteer Engagement in Peel: A Community Based Research Project

How young is “too young” when it comes to volunteerism? If you were to look to the majority of research on volunteerism and volunteer opportunities to answer this question, you might conclude that high-school age (or about the age of 15) is when youth should start volunteering. Volunteering research includes the exploration of youth volunteering but, often, the research excludes youth under the age of 15. For example, the 2007 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, uses the age bracket of 15-24 to refer to young people (Hall et al., 2009). There remains, then, a significant gap in research about volunteers under the age of 15. One of the few Canadian examinations of younger youth volunteering is Shannon’s (2009) examination of volunteers aged 8-12 in Atlantic Canada. This research observed that young volunteers are an “untapped resource”. Citing evidence that “involving younger volunteers and ensuring they have positive experiences could be an important goal for the non-profit and voluntary sector and a key one in sustaining their organizations in the future” (2009, p.844). Shannon’s research made a strong case that younger Canadians can and should be approached to volunteer. Similarly, Tessier et al. (2006) undertook research for the purpose of documenting the volunteer engagement of youth aged 12 to 17 in Quebec

Co-curricular learning: learning through experiences in student government

Co-curricular environments have great potential to enhance learning but when compared to the formal curriculum, there are few studies that have investigated the learning that occurs in out-of-class activities. Despite its significant profile and impact on postsecondary campuses, a dearth of literature addresses experiences associated with student government. This qualitative study used Kolb’s (1984) theory of experiential learning as a theoretical framework to guide data collection in order to identify the learning and competencies stemming from participation in student government. The study discovered that participation in student government as an important source of learning that occurred across the six learning domains posited by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. The participants self-identified the majority of their learning in the domains interpersonal competence and practical competence. Participants’ testimonials illuminate this study and underscore the impact that participation in student government can have on learning and personal transformation

Hearts + Minds Knowledge Round up: Co-Creating Civic Connections for Indigenous and Black Young People in Peel

This knowledge round-up addresses the question: What ought to be prioritized by non-profit organizations for meaningful civic connections for Indigenous and Black young people? The answer to this question is our Hearts + Minds theory of change mapped out in this paper

Re-Imagining the Centre: Indigenous and Black Futures in Peel

We believe in a future where Black (African and Caribbean) and Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) lives not only matter but thrive. One of the founding principles of the Hearts + Minds project is that Indigenous and Black peoples have deep roots that are sometimes glossed over, denied, and suppressed. We believe flourishing Indigenous and Black futures are entangled and inevitable and that community organizations (sometimes called non-profit organizations and social services) can play a special role in making space for Black and Indigenous connections and solidarities. We captured some of this thinking in our knowledge round-up. By fortifying and building connections between the many vibrant Indigenous and Black communities, we can expand community infrastructure and radical relationalities rooted in decolonial ways of knowing, being, and doing. New practices -and even new worlds -can emerge by reimagining who is at the centre of our work. In a world of hustle culture and unbridled individualism, we believe if Black and Indigenous connections are more nourished and more visible, Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation will be made more possible. We appreciate how Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation are big ideas that often don’t appear in community organizations’ strategic plans and that they are often strapped and stretched. We also know that big transformative ideas often get traction in community organizations because of their ability to harness human connection. Amidst this enthusiasm for more intentional Indigenous and Black connections in community organizations, it also feels important to observe the many important benefits of separating Indigenous and Black-specific programming in non-profit spaces; we also want these necessary programs to thrive and be well-funded

Rethinking Crime, Community, & Justice: A Symposium for Practitioners and Volunteers

On June 25, 2018 a symposium hosted by Sheridan College in Brampton, Ontario focused on the role of crime, community and justice with an emphasis on the role of the voluntary sector. 80 people were in attendance, including criminal justice practitioners, scholars, voluntary sector practitioners, faith groups and students. Financial support for the event from Sheridan’s Scholarship, Research & Creative Activities fund. Opening remarks were provided by Dr. Mary Louise Noce, Associate Dean of the School of Community Studies. The keynote lecture was delivered by Dr. Philippa Tomczak, on the sociology of the Penal Voluntary Sector. Delegates from academia and practice presented papers on the role of the voluntary sector in the youth and adult systems in Canada. Presenters included Garry Glowacki and his team at the Bridge Prison Ministry, Dr. Rai Reece, Kaitlyn Quinn and Abigail Salole. The symposium was infused by art curated by the Bridge Prison Ministry. Sessions Insight from the Trenches Garry Glowacki, Richard and Natalie, The Bridge Prison Ministry “Horticulture, Healing and Hope”: Examining the Efficacy of Apprenticeship Programs for Incarcerated Women Dr. Rai Reece, Humber College The Politics of helping: Examining divergent practices in the penal voluntary fields Kaitlyn Quinn, University of Toronto It’s Kinda Punishment: Mechanical measures and the legitimacy of youth justice work Abigail Salole, Sheridan College Closing Session: Mississauga’s Poet Laureate Wali Shahhttps://source.sheridancollege.ca/conferences_fahcs_crimesymposium2018/1000/thumbnail.jp

From the outside in: narratives of creative arts practitioners working in the criminal justice system

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Wiley-Blackwell in The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice on 31/12/2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12318 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.The penal voluntary sector is highly variegated in its roles, practices and functions, though research to date has largely excluded the experiences of front-line practitioners. We argue that engaging with the narratives of practitioners can provide fuller appreciation of the potential of the sector’s work. Though life story and narrative have been recognised as important in offender desistance (Maruna, 2001), the narrative identities of creative arts practitioners, who are important ‘change agents’ (Albertson, 2015), are typically absent. This is despite evidence to suggest that a practitioner’s life history can be a significant and positive influence in the rehabilitation of offenders (Harris, 2017). Using narratological analysis (Bal, 2009), this study examined the narratives of 19 creative practitioners in prisons in England and Wales. Of particular interest were the formative experiences of arts practitioners in their journey to prison work. The findings suggest that arts practitioners identify with an ‘outsider’ status and may be motivated by an ethic of mutual aid. In the current climate of third sector involvement in the delivery of criminal justice interventions, such a capacity may be both a strength and weakness for arts organisations working in this field

The criminal justice voluntary sector: concepts and an agenda for an emerging field

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Tomczak, P. & Buck, G. (2019). The criminal justice voluntary sector: concepts and an agenda for an emerging field. Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 58(3), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12326. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Volunteers and voluntary organisations play significant roles pervading criminal justice. They are key actors, with unrecognised potential to shore up criminal justice and/or collaboratively reshape social justice. Unlike public and for-profit agents, criminal justice volunteers and voluntary organisations (CJVVOs) have been neglected by scholars. We call for analyses of diverse CJVVOs, in national and comparative contexts. We provide three categories to highlight distinctive organising auspices, which hold across criminal justice: statutory volunteers, quasi-statutory volunteers and voluntary organisations. The unknown implications of these different forms of non-state, non-profit justice involvement deserve far greater attention from academics, policymakers and practitioners