Volunteer
Ways to Volunteer
Join us at Building Peaceful Bridges to help rebuild the lives of our newest neighbors. There are many ways you can help! Everyone has the power to make a difference in the lives of newcomers.
Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) has many volunteer opportunities in various roles.
We aim to provide our volunteers with ways to connect with one another building community, to provide networking opportunities, and to see the collective impact of the BPB volunteer team working together to make our country a more welcoming place for refugees. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Building Peaceful Bridges.
Become a Mentor
Mentoring newcomer families is the core of what BPB does. Mentors build long term relationships with newcomers and provide them with helpful guidance to services and tools that families need to move from surviving to thriving
BPB mentors spend a minimum of 90 minutes per week with a particular family. They are matched by the Family Support Manager based on interests, skills and family needs.
Different mentors fill different needs including :
- assisting in finding and setting up a new apartment
- coaching parents on preparing for and implementing a job search
- Helping families to understand basic bills, bill paying, and creating family budgets
- Sharing information about food pantries, free stores, resale shops and other resources. Helping families register for these.
- Driving family members to medical and other important appointments when needed
- Teaching family members how to use public transportation
- Registering children in schools and in extra curricular activities
- Spending time with the family on outings or just chatting in the home.
- Cooking together
- Providing regular updates to the Family Support Manager including any special needs the family may have
- Assisting the family with preparation for citizenship or other immigration related legal steps
- Some mentors also serve as tutors for adult ESL or children's school work
