Tourism Winnipeg

52 52 a. Volunteer Involvement Winnipeg is renowned for its generosity and strong volunteer base. In the most recent Statistics Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, Manitoba's 52 per cent volunteer rate ranked well above the Canadian average of 44 per cent. Winnipeg's enthusiastic volunteers continue to step up whenever an opportunity is presented. Whether it's hosting special events such as the 2017 Canada Summer Games (6,000 volunteers) to the 2015 CFL Grey Cup Championships (700+), to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Winnipeggers are renowned for rising to the occasion and offering more than the required number of bodies and hours of volunteering requested to run an event smoothly. Many festivals and events have their own networks to tap into for volunteers. Others turn to local media, public awareness campaigns/drives, social media, community development groups and related charities or non-profits for assistance. Another option is Volunteer Manitoba, which is the leader and catalyst for engaging all Manitobans in volunteerism. Volunteer Manitoba works closely with non-profit organizations, charities and event managers to ensure the continued success of their volunteer engagement strategies. They provide training in volunteer management, have arobust recruitment and referral program that connects Manitobans with opportunities to volunteer, and they promote volunteerism across the province. Winnipeg's post-secondary institutions are another source of volunteers at festivals and events due to graduation and unpaid work placement requirements. For the tourism management course at St. Boniface University, students are often involved during a ten- day period over Festival du Voyageur. The festival has always coincided with 'spring break' allowing for students to do paid work or to volunteer. Students have occasionally been invited to volunteer at various events with examples such as Culture Days, Ice Donkey, Manito Ahbee and Christmas at St Boniface Museum. Students from the Tourism Management, Business Administration and Computer Technology courses all do work placements. Either five-week unpaid or a four-month paid internship. They have worked with various festivals over the years including: Culture Days, Thin Air, Nuit Blanche, Folklorama and Canada Day in St. Boniface. Red River College's Hospitality and Tourism Management two-year program requires all students to complete eight hours or higher outside of their cooperative work-term placement volunteering (most exceed it). In some cases, students chose to volunteer with festivals and events -- many signed up with the 2017 Canada Summer Games, Share our Strength and Nuit Blanche as some examples. The co-op coordinator will also post as many volunteer opportunities as possible and many students sign up to volunteer at festivals like Winnipeg Fringe Festival and Festival du Voyageur as a way to build their resumes on their own accord. Students will also collaborate with students from Red River's culinary program to volunteer in the community and prepare/serve a meal at Siloam Mission (homeless shelter) and Share our Strength charity fundraising culinary event.

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