Volunteers Making Waves to Strengthen Canadian Resilience

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Community participation changing with the tide amidst unprecedented change and uncertainty

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TORONTO, April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — During National Volunteer Week (NVW), April 27-May 3, 2025, Canada celebrates its millions of volunteers and their collective service across the country. This year’s theme, Volunteers Make Waves, highlights the power, impact, and importance of individual and collective volunteer efforts that support Canada’s social infrastructure and connect local communities. The annual Volunteer Canada-led celebration is a time to thank, recognize, and honour all the ways volunteers make waves from coast to coast to coast.

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Canada has long prided itself as a country of people who volunteer, serve and participate, building on the waves of each generation. However, the tide is shifting and trends in volunteerism and participation have been declining, especially post-pandemic. With service usage at an all-time high, more than half (57 per cent) of Canadian charities are unable to meet current levels of demand, according to the Canada Helps Giving Report 2024. In its current state, the charitable sector can’t support the weight of our current and future crises.

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At the same time, only 20 per cent of Canadians report a very strong sense of community belonging. Yet, those with close friends are more likely to contribute in pro-social ways, including volunteering and advocating for causes they care about. As well, they are more likely to express trust in leadership – across government, media, business, and especially the nonprofit sector. In this regenerative cycle, individuals benefit from volunteering with improved well-being and a stronger sense of connection and belonging. Their actions ripple out to broader community benefits, like increased community integration, social cohesion, and enhanced resilience.

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Navigating these current trends, political and economic uncertainty, and the complexities of modern volunteerism, Volunteer Canada is finding new ways to revitalize community participation. The organization is working to remove barriers to volunteering, empowering innovative solutions and emergent responses. Aimed at creating a more robust volunteering infrastructure, the National Volunteer Action Strategy is gathering input from across the country on ways that every individual can feel empowered to contribute, creating more connected communities.

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“Volunteers, much like water, constantly change everything they touch. Their individual and collective actions have the power to create and sustain the positive changes they want to see in our country,” says Dr. Megan Conway, Volunteer Canada President and CEO. “During National Volunteer Week, we celebrate this powerful force that creates movements and builds momentum. Together, Volunteers Make Waves!”

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To share community wisdom and inspire collective action, Volunteer Canada is hosting a cross-Canada celebration. The May 1^st online event will feature a discussion with Anishinaabe Indigenous rights advocate and Chief Water Commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation Autumn Peltier in conversation with Dr. Megan Conway. Autumn will share her journey of volunteering and activism followed by a Q&A with participants.