Get Involved
How to join the Sustainabili-Team
Overview
Our Philosophy
When you volunteer with Sustainable Dawson, you enter a relationship where the entire team learns from the skills and knowledge you bring to each project. Through our training, debrief sessions and activities, we trust volunteers will contribute to, and develop, a sense of community that comes from working towards Dawson’s core value of Well-Being for All. We look forward to sharing knowledge and accepting your contribution to helping Dawson be a leader in sustainability.
Guideline & Expectations
We are in the gardens rain or shine (In the case of severe thunderstorm warnings, we will call / email volunteers to cancel). If you are scheduled and cannot make your shift to please notify the volunteer coordinator or post on the Teams App to the group so we may find a replacement for you. Volunteers under the age of 18yrs old will have to have a parent /guardian sign a photo release form.
What to Wear / Bring
- Wear closed-toe shoes or boots
- A hat with a brim
- Sunscreen
- Reusable Water bottle
- Comfortable and weather-appropriate clothing that you don’t mind getting wet or dirty.
We will provide gardening gloves upon request
What you will be involved in?
- Ecological Peace Garden (2,000 m2)
- Theatre Vegetable Garden
- 4H Rooftop Vegetable Garden / Living Roof Biodiversity Zones
- Dawson Daycare Planters
- Conrod’s Courtyard
- Three Sister’s Garden
- Monarch Nursery Garden
- Rooftop Beehives
- Composting
- Naturehood Summer Camp
- Living Campus Tours
Educational Workshops / Outings
During the Summer season we will participate in educational outings and tour urban gardens of other organizations-Volunteers take part in beehive workshops, monarch butterfly workshops, seed collecting workshops, and more! We promise you will learn something NEW every time you volunteer!
Harvest Prep & Market
We host a harvest market once a week during the summer season (May to August). Volunteers will harvest (pick) herbs and vegetables, clean them, bundle them, and prepare a table to sell the fresh harvest to the community.
Our Projects & Initiatives
COMPOSTING: Started by a Dawson student in 2016! Volunteers will be in charge of daily pick-up of food waste located in kitchenettes and student common areas. We have 4 large compost tumblers on site in which we turn the food waste into soil. The compost is used in our Dawson gardens.
BEEHIVES: We have 2 beehives located on the 4H rooftop. Volunteers will be able to learn and participate in several workshops. : hive inspections, honey extraction, season opening and closing of the hives.
MONARCH NURSERY PROJECT: During the summer and early fall season our volunteers care for monarch eggs and raise the caterpillars and butterflies in our butterfly enclosure located in the Three Sister’s Garden. We then organize monarch butterfly releases with the community every week. For the first time in the Summer of 2018, we found monarch eggs and caterpillars in the Dawson gardens
OUTREACH PROGRAMS: We lead Living Campus tours and workshops to external organizations, such as the Dawson Daycare, senior groups, other colleges, and universities. We also do external presentations for summer camps, elementary and high school students.
EARTH WEEK: We organize a week long event for Earth Day in April, welcome guest speakers, invite eco-friendly vendors, and engage the entire community!
Scheduling
Once you are registered, we will send you a Doodle poll where you may update your weekly availability. We communicate using the TEAMS app which is available through Sharepoint connected to your Dawson College email address. You will receive an invitation to this app from the Volunteer Coordinator. This platform allows you to view schedules, meeting places, tasks, and send private messages to members or group messages. Any changes to your availability can be done through this app.
Student Involvement Recognition (SIR) Program
By Volunteering with our Sustainabili-Team you are eligible for the Recognition of Student Involvement if you meet the following criteria
- Have 60 or more hours d of Volunteer work accumulated in one semester,
- You are a full-time student during your time of involvement
- You meet the standard academic success requirements.
A notation will appear on your transcript which is beneficial when applying for loans, bursaries, universities and employment. Forms are available from the Volunteer coordinator.
