Answer

There are many settlement services in Toronto where you could look to find a volunteer or paid position. Settlement services can refer to government-funded programs offered through community agencies that are, in turn, funded by the Immigrant Settlement Adaptation Program (ISAP). You might want to check out Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which lists many of these services.

Another good place to find out about the range of settlement and newcomer services offered in Toronto is 211Toronto.ca. The site breaks newcomer services down into areas such as language training, employment programs and befriending programs.

One befriending program is HOST, which helps to integrate newcomers into Canadian culture. You can host a newcomer by not just sharing your information about the city but also by providing friendship. The agencies offering HOST programs in Toronto often organize group activities or events such as picnics or bowling or movie nights that volunteers can attend along with newcomers.

Another resource for becoming "in the know" about settlement agencies and the issues affecting them is Settlement.Org at Work.

There are also a number of ethnic and cultural groups offering settlement services for their specific communities that may not be government funded, so be sure to check out these too.

You can also take a look at Volunteer Toronto, which can connect you to agencies that deliver settlement services. Check out its listing of volunteer positions including the Volunteer Opportunities of the Week and search the database, which is broken down into Type of Organization, Activity, Location, Clients Served or Special Events. The Clients Served section has a category called Ethnic Groups, Visible Minorities, Immigrants that lists a variety of positions -- everything from outreach worker to driver.

If you speak a language other than English or French, and have specific cultural knowledge or unique skills, you might be in luck. Such attributes may improve your efforts to find volunteer or paid positions with a settlement agency.

And if you'd like to further pursue education in this field, locally, Seneca College's Social Worker - Immigrants and Refugee Diploma Program prepares students to work as settlement workers or counsellors. George Brown College also offers a Career and Work Counsellor Program for Internationally Educated Professionals.