Volunteering
Looking for volunteer hours?
The Library offers a mix of online and in-person volunteer opportunities for students ages 13-19. Some opportunities occur monthly, while others are special events or one-time opportunities.
As we have different opportunities available throughout the year, we cannot guarantee a minimum number of volunteer hours. View our opportunities below and email teens@wsplibrary.ca with questions or to sign up.
Recurring Opportunities
Earn a volunteer hour or two by joining a club or initiative! Join every month or come whenever you can. View our calendar of events for upcoming meeting dates and times.
Discuss issues that are important to you and develop skills to make change in your community! The Activism & Advocacy Club may help advise and lead volunteer initiatives for other teens. The club will help guide the topic selection/initiatives. Meetings vary from one to two hours in length and the club meets every month. Activism & Advocacy Club is held in person at the Library.
No registration required. New volunteers welcome!
We are looking for a Black Indigenous Person of Colour (BIPOC) youth to help facilitate the BIPOC drop-in session – a safe space for BIPOC youth - each month. You'll receive 2.5 volunteer hours for overseeing the program and welcoming other youth, taking attendance, helping to lead conversations, suggesting activities, setting up, and cleaning up. Youth volunteers may also be eligible to receive 2-3 volunteer hours to prepare resources, ice breakers, and other activities for the session.
1-2 facilitators are required for each session. New facilitators will be chosen each month.
Contact teens@wsplibrary.ca for more information or to apply for this volunteer opportunity.
This program runs monthly from October 2022 to March 2023. Help the Library plan an event or campaign for Freedom to Read week in February. Activities may include writing reviews or blog posts of banned books, creating a book list, making posters, and designing buttons. The Intellectual Freedom Society meets in person at the Library. Teens can earn 1-2 volunteer hours for actively participating.
No registration required. New volunteers welcome!
Help the Library create book recommendation lists and displays for teens! Each month will have a different theme, some pre-determined by the Library and others chosen by TAG. Learn how to search the catalogue, use tools like NoveList, and write a compelling book list description. Earn 1 volunteer hour for participating!
The Readers Advisory Club is held in person at the Library. Meetings take place every month.
No registration required. New volunteers welcome!
Participate in a guided discussion with others about topics important to teens, the community, and the wider world, then create a collaborative a social media post or blog post to share with other teens. TAG will help choose the themes for upcoming discussions. Round Table Discussions are held in person at the Library and take place approximately every other month. Teens can earn 1-1.5 volunteer hours for actively participating.
No registration required. New volunteers welcome!
TAG is a virtual assembly that meets once a month on Zoom (alternating Wednesdays and Thursdays) to discuss and advise the library on what services and materials teens want offered. Volunteer opportunities are often announced at TAG meetings and participants will be able to sign up for shifts during meetings.
Teens can earn 1 volunteer hour for actively participating. Join the Teen Email List or email teens@wsplibrary.ca with ‘TAG Meeting’ in the subject to receive the zoom link.
No registration required. New volunteers welcome!
Special Events
Volunteers will be booked as needed to help with special events at the Library or off-site events or festivals. Volunteers may assist with a variety of tasks including setting up and cleaning up, greeting and directing guests, preparing materials, assisting with programs or activities, and taking photos. Registration and confirmation are required to volunteer at special events. Events will be added throughout the year.
Volunteer applications will open June 2023. FanFest takes place July 2023.
October 2023. More information to follow.
Summer Reading Club
Check back soon for information about applying to become a volunteer for the 2023 Summer Reading Club.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Other opportunities will be added as they become available. Sometimes volunteers are needed last minute and volunteers on the Teen Email List will be notified by email. The best way to stay up to date with volunteer opportunities is by attending our monthly Teen Advisory Group (TAG) meetings and joining our Teen Email List.
Volunteering FAQ
Visit our [teen volunteer opportunities page ] to view current volunteer opportunities. Email teens@wsplibrary.ca and indicate which opportunities you are interested in. Let us know if you would like to be added to our Teen Email List.
Note: we are currently working on an online volunteer application form to streamline this process.
Teens must fill in all required information on the volunteer form before it is signed, including name, school, volunteer task, date, and number of hours.
Teens volunteering at an in-person session can have their forms signed at the end of that session.
For online volunteer sessions, teens can submit their volunteer forms via email to teens@wsplibrary.ca or leave them at the front desk to be signed by our Teen Services Library Assistant.
If you would like to collect your volunteer hours for previous volunteer shifts, please email your completed form to teens@wsplibrary.ca or leave your form at the front desk of the Library. Your form will not be signed on the spot. You will be contacted when your hours have been approved and your form is available for pickup.
If you are leaving your form at the desk, please attach a note with your first and last name and the best way to contact you.
WSPL keeps a record of teen volunteer hours, but teens are required to track their own hours, including date, time, task, and supervisor.
WSPL’s database will be used to confirm the volunteer hours written on your volunteer form before it is signed.
Teens are responsible for having their volunteer hours collected and forms signed by the end of the calendar year.
Teen volunteers must be at least 13 years old.
Teen programs are for elementary and high school students ages 13-19. If you are 12 years old and turning 13 the year that the program takes place, you may be able to join the program. Email teens@wsplibrary.ca for more information.
Most teen programs do not require registration. Some programs may require registration due to a limited number of spaces. This will be noted in the description for the program.
To improve access and remove barriers for teens, teen program registration is done over email. Email teens@wsplibrary.ca and include the name of the program in the subject field, followed by ‘Program Registration’ to register.
Teen programs are free!
The Teen Lounge is reserved for elementary and high school students ages 13-19.
The Teen Lounge may be used to run teen programs or volunteer opportunities during regular Library hours.