Overview:
A Peer Supporter with Badge of Life Canada plays a crucial role in providing emotional and psychological support to Public Safety Personnel (police officers, firefighters, paramedics, correctional officers, nurses, military personnel) and their families who are experiencing operational stress injuries (OSI) such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Peer Supporters create a safe, confidential, and empathetic space for individuals to share their experiences, challenges, and feelings without judgment. Through lived experience and understanding, they help others navigate mental health challenges, build resilience, and find a path to recovery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Offer Emotional Support: Provide a non-judgmental and compassionate environment for individuals to express their feelings and challenges.
• Active Listening: Use active listening skills to understand the concerns of participants, ensuring they feel heard and validated.
• Share Lived Experience: Draw upon personal experiences in the public safety or military field (or from supporting a loved one in this field) to connect with participants, offering hope and encouragement.
• Promote Mental Wellness Resources: Help participants access additional mental health resources and services as needed, including therapy, counseling, and Badge of Life Canada’s educational programs.
• Confidentiality: Maintain the confidentiality of all discussions and interactions in accordance with Badge of Life Canada's policies.
• Collaborate with Professionals: Work closely with mental health professionals, facilitators, and the Badge of Life Canada team to ensure participants receive the best possible support.
• Provide Crisis Intervention: Recognize signs of crisis in participants and, if necessary, escalate the situation to appropriate professionals for further intervention.

Training and Support:
Badge of Life Canada provides comprehensive training to all Peer Supporters. Our training program equips you with the tools and skills needed to effectively support individuals dealing with operational stress injuries. This includes training in:

• Active listening techniques
• Crisis intervention and de-escalation
• Recognizing signs of OSI and PTSD
• Confidentiality and ethical boundaries
• Best practices for peer support in a public safety context

Ongoing support and supervision will be provided to ensure Peer Supporters have access to guidance and resources while serving in their roles.

Qualifications:

• Lived experience as a Public Safety Personnel, military member, or as a family member of someone in these roles.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to actively listen.
• Empathy, patience, and a non-judgmental attitude.
• Commitment to confidentiality and ethical standards.
• Willingness to participate in all required training sessions.

Commitment:
Peer Supporters are asked to dedicate time to facilitate or participate in peer support meetings, either virtually or in person, on a regular basis (typically weekly or bi-weekly). Flexibility in schedule is important, as meetings may vary depending on participant needs.

Impact:
As a Peer Supporter with Badge of Life Canada, you will play a vital role in helping individuals and families cope with the challenges of operational stress injuries. Your support can make a meaningful difference in their mental health journey, providing them with hope, strength, and a path toward healing.

This is a remote volunteer position supporting the Guelph-Wellington Community. All shifts and training are completed remotely, therefore, residence in Guelph-Wellington is not a requirement for this position.

Responsibilities:

• Complete inbound and outbound calls with service users residing in the county
• Complete safety/wellness checks, provide medication reminders, and engage in social conversations with vulnerable populations
• Assist with crisis intervention, when presented
• Utilize a strengths-based, solution-focused approach
• Provide external resources and referrals to service users 
• Complete case documentation of all interactions with service users

Community volunteers are trained to work as part of a team to assist victims of crime or tragedy by providing emotional support, practical assistance and community referrals. Support can be on-site or by phone. Referrals are from police and community agencies.

 As a crisis responder you may be asked to assist the OPP or other first responders to help victims and/or families. 

Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network provides bereavement support at no cost to families who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy at any stage, or the death of their baby, up to 12 months of age. We currently have volunteer opportunities for people who are approximately two years past their bereavement date and are looking for meaningful ways to offer their support to others. We are actively training peer supporters for private online bereavement support groups and one-to-one phone support.

Kids Help Phone’s texting service is the only free, 24/7 bilingual text line for people in Canada. The service is delivered by trained, volunteer crisis responders who work remotely. 

We are recruiting overnight and or bilingual crisis responders who will answer texts from young people looking for support in both English AND French.

The volunteer position will be remote, meaning that you can participate from anywhere in Canada as long you have a strong, reliable internet connection!  

Our volunteers need to be enthusiastic about helping people!

You can be a professional, student, teacher, retiree, or anybody else with a willingness to learn how to support people over text.  

The role of a crisis responder is to bring texters from a “hot” moment to a cool calm one, and to help them come up with a plan to stay healthy and safe.

Crisis responders are trained to do this using active listening and collaborative problem-solving.

• Empathetic listeners who are able to provide inclusive, non-judgmental support to callers representing a variety of ages, identities, and concerns
• Call centre operates 24/7, and we actively recruit both day and night shifts
• Day shifts are 4 hours
• Overnight shifts are 8 hours

• Help to facilitate 8 week, Grief Support Groups (2.5 hours/week)
• Provide a listening ear and a safe space for individuals to work through their grief.
• Maintain close contact with the Bereavement Services Coordinator

Volunteers are matched to clients who are living with a life-limiting illness. They support and comfort their client and the client's circle of support. Be it family or friends.  The goal is to be flexible and assist someone on this journey with whatever they might require. It could be physical, but usually, it is emotional support and advocacy. Once the match has been made, the client and the volunteer set a time schedule that is good for both. Visiting volunteers provide support to our clients in the comfort of the clients home, where ever that may be; their house, long-term care facility, hospital or the vulnerably housed.

• Facilitate the English Conversation Circle once a week
• Teach English to a group of Newcomers
• Help clients integrate to the community

Provide emotional support to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one to death or palliative diagnosis.  
1:1 and group support available.

Volunteers work with Alzheimer Society Family Support Coordinators in 1) a morning Support Group, 2) an afternoon Support Group or 3) an evening Support Group, depending upon the community.

Share your love of reading and comfort with Zoom meetings, by facilitating a small online book club for people with development disabilities.  This role promotes literacy, community interaction and building relationships.  

As a Book Club Facilitator you will manage the weekly Zoom meetings (admitting members, sharing screens, assigning cohosts etc.) as well as assign Individual readers, plan sessions and read some of the chosen text to/with the group.

This group usually focusses on one book per season and works slowly through chapters, reading together and discussing.

This group meets virtually every Tuesday from 6-7 pm, therefore the Facilitator would need to commit about 1.5 hours each Tuesday and perhaps an additional 30 - 60 minutes weekly for planning.

Volunteers would be required to provide support to individuals on a helpline or chat service who have experienced sexual trauma, violence and or assault. A 30 hour training course and interview is to be completed before starting on the helpline and chat service. 

Volunteers will be responsable for meeting with a clients weekly or bi-weekly to add enrichment to peoples lives. Clients are blind or have vision loss to some degree, which often requires adpaments to life. Volunteers are required to socialse with them and add normal contact back in their lives after the effects of the pandemic. They can go for walks, visit community gardens, really anything the pair would enjoy. The requirement are up to the two people who are paired. 

• Initial Session: Conduct an opening session with the child and parents to develop a personalized tutoring plan.

• Planning and Scheduling: Schedule and organize all tutoring sessions in coordination with the participant and program coordinator.

• Session Management: Direct sessions to build on skills the child is learning in school and provide one-on-one tutoring.

• Communication: Maintain regular communication with administrative staff to ensure satisfaction of both parents and the child.

• Student Engagement: Communicate with students to understand their learning needs and create engaging, interactive learning experiences.

• Academic Support: Educate students on various subjects, assist with homework assignments and test preparation, and support understanding of numeracy and/or literacy concepts using the Ontario curriculum.

• Strategy Development: Develop and implement strategies tailored to students with learning disabilities and ADHD, focusing on enhancing academic skills and self-confidence.

• Progress Monitoring: Track and document student progress, providing feedback and adjusting methods as needed.

• Training and Development: Attend virtual training sessions and meetings as required to stay updated on best practices and program guidelines.

• Confidentiality: Ensure all student information and records are kept confidential and handled with care.