Environmental Youth Alliance

What services does your organization provide?
By providing young people with meaningful experiences, in projects that benefit our communities, we support our environment socially as well as ecologically. The EYA engages in environmental education and action campaigns, youth networking, protection of natural spaces, and rehabilitation of urban areas.

Do you have any age requirements?
Volunteers of all ages are welcome at the volunteer garden sessions and outreach events. If you're under the age of 19, you should have a parent/guardian sign a parental consent form.

Growing Kids volunteer interns must be at least 18 years of age.

Do you require language proficiency other than in English?
No

What time commitment(s) are you expecting from a volunteer?
We appreciate a solid weekly commitment of at least 2 hours, but understand that busy schedules and life in general can make this difficult sometimes.

Are there any other requirements for being a volunteer?
A willingness to work outdoors and get a bit dirty will carry you far!

Are there any specific skills and experience required?
You don't need any previous gardening experience or tools to join our garden sessions. All we ask is that you show up with the willingness to learn, work hard and have fun!

What type of volunteer positions are typically available?
EYA offers a range of volunteer opportunities to suite a range of skills and interests. Our main volunteer opportunity at the moment is our garden volunteer sessions where EYA volunteers come together to help care for and maintain our various gardens in Vancouver. We also occasionally have volunteer opportunities with some of our ongoing programs (e.g. working with children in schools - "Growing Kids", wildlife monitoring projects, creating urban green spaces).

Is there any training provided for volunteers?
For our garden volunteer sessions and outreach events, most of the training takes place on-the-job. We'll provide an orientation to the site, a description of the planned activities and all necessary instructions for the tasks required.

Growing Kids volunteers will receive a short, introductory training session that will introduce volunteers to community and youth engagement, environmental education, plant propagation, and garden maintenance. On-going mentorship will also be provided by the Growing Kids coordinators.

What are the typical volunteer activities occurring at your organization?
Each week we do a range of different tasks in our gardens. Some of these tasks include:

• Planting year-round and seasonal crops
• Greenhouse and nursery maintenance
• Seed harvesting and processing
• Propagating new plants
• Watering existing crops
• Mulching and soil preparation
• Maintaining pathways
• Weeding beds and/or
• Pruning

How will a person benefit from volunteering with Environmental Youth Alliance?
In return for lending your service to EYA, you can expect to be granted learning opportunities, with training and support offered by staff and volunteers. You can also expect to be provided with a safe, welcoming working environment. We will extend invitations to several volunteer appreciation events throughout the year and can provide volunteer reference letters after you have completed 20 hours of volunteer service.

Do you accept high school students?
Yes. We are happy to sign your record sheets after you have you have completed your shift. We can also provide reference letters upon request detailing tasks and hours completed, so make sure that you sign in at each session so that we can log your hours!