Healthy Communities • Y Stories • YMCA Volunteers
From Volunteer to Employee: Paola's Y Story
12 April 2016 - by June Findlay
Mere seconds into a conversation with Paola Torres, you’ll immediately realize how passionate she is—about the people in her life, her native home of Colombia, her community in Toronto, and her profession in the procurement field.
But most of all, she’s passionate about volunteering, especially because it was a catalyst to her path to finding a new life and a new job when she came to Canada in 2014.
“I came to Canada full of energy; I had a career I wanted to continue, and I knew that there were many opportunities and many things to apply for in my profession. My goal was to bring income to my family, get experience where I would be working, and to give knowledge in return.”
Like many newcomers who arrive in Canada from abroad, however, Paola had initial troubles finding a job in her trained profession: according to Statistics Canada, just under a quarter of employed foreign-educated, university level immigrants work in a field that matches their field of study, compared to 62 percent of their Canadian-born counterparts.
Not one to let a challenge pass her by, Paola started to take ESL classes to improve her business English and her job prospects. While in class, a friend suggested she visit the YMCA’s Newcomer Information Centre (NIC) to find some helpful people and information. Not long after her first visit, she learned about and joined the Newcomer Information Network, a group of newcomers and Canadians that work together to improve the lives of newcomers through knowledge sharing, networking and volunteering at various departments around the YMCA.
Paola was soon helping out fellow newcomers at the NIC three times a week, being a helpdesk of sorts for those using the centre’s resources. “A lot of the tasks were basic, but they were helping me learn and interact with others. I felt useful helping others like myself. It’s a good way to gain experience, plus you never know what might happen as a result.”
The staff at the centre soon realized that Paola’s passion, talent and quick learning abilities would be valuable in the YMCA’s Human Resources department, where she volunteered on Mondays doing administrative work for the team. While there, she noticed, applied for, and got a job in the Procurement department—her trained profession—where she continues to work today.
“I didn’t have a network when I came here. If you want to be able to do the things you want, you have to get out there and meet people, volunteer, take courses…just talk! Talk about yourself and your experience...it’s the only way. The Y offered me those opportunities—to talk, to work, to volunteer, to create my network and to get more experience.”
But most of all, she’s passionate about volunteering, especially because it was a catalyst to her path to finding a new life and a new job when she came to Canada in 2014.
“I came to Canada full of energy; I had a career I wanted to continue, and I knew that there were many opportunities and many things to apply for in my profession. My goal was to bring income to my family, get experience where I would be working, and to give knowledge in return.”
Like many newcomers who arrive in Canada from abroad, however, Paola had initial troubles finding a job in her trained profession: according to Statistics Canada, just under a quarter of employed foreign-educated, university level immigrants work in a field that matches their field of study, compared to 62 percent of their Canadian-born counterparts.
Not one to let a challenge pass her by, Paola started to take ESL classes to improve her business English and her job prospects. While in class, a friend suggested she visit the YMCA’s Newcomer Information Centre (NIC) to find some helpful people and information. Not long after her first visit, she learned about and joined the Newcomer Information Network, a group of newcomers and Canadians that work together to improve the lives of newcomers through knowledge sharing, networking and volunteering at various departments around the YMCA.
Paola was soon helping out fellow newcomers at the NIC three times a week, being a helpdesk of sorts for those using the centre’s resources. “A lot of the tasks were basic, but they were helping me learn and interact with others. I felt useful helping others like myself. It’s a good way to gain experience, plus you never know what might happen as a result.”
The staff at the centre soon realized that Paola’s passion, talent and quick learning abilities would be valuable in the YMCA’s Human Resources department, where she volunteered on Mondays doing administrative work for the team. While there, she noticed, applied for, and got a job in the Procurement department—her trained profession—where she continues to work today.
“I didn’t have a network when I came here. If you want to be able to do the things you want, you have to get out there and meet people, volunteer, take courses…just talk! Talk about yourself and your experience...it’s the only way. The Y offered me those opportunities—to talk, to work, to volunteer, to create my network and to get more experience.”
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