This week, we’re looking at what the Volunteer Coordinator does at the Zebra Child Protection Centre! In response to growing enthusiasm from the community, the Zebra Centre created a dedicated Volunteer Coordinator position in order to help our growing number of volunteers work at their best. In this role, Neil works with everything to do with the Volunteer Program, including recruitment, screening, training, scheduling, and recognition.

Neil oversees 5 different types of Zebra Centre volunteers:

Admin volunteers, who do tasks like filing and data entry
Child Advocates (the largest group of volunteers), who work one-on-one with families in the Centre and over the phone
Court Accompaniment volunteers, who sit on the stand with children while the testify in court
Event volunteers, who help organize and run events benefitting Zebra, and events Zebra have been asked to participate in
Research volunteers, who evaluate Zebra’s existing programs and help inform potential new best practices.

Child Advocates serve as the voices for children during the continuum of care, and Neil harmonizes these voices, ensuring that there are enough Advocates to provide exceptional support to children and families, and that each advocate has what they need in order to provide that support.

What are the Zebra Moments that inspire Neil in his work at the Zebra Centre?

“When I started working at Zebra, there were 93 people who wanted to volunteer with us. The work that we’re asking our volunteers to do is difficult, emotionally-intensive work, and it is so inspiring to see so many people stepping up saying ‘I’m ready to do this work, to help put a stop to child abuse.’”

Volunteers are essential to the work done here at the Zebra Centre. With Neil’s oversight and guidance, volunteers are able to provide the best support possible for children and families.

Meet the Herd: Volunteer Coordinator