Do you want to make a difference?
The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) strives to ensure that Emergency Management Programs are the highest quality, provide safe learning environments, and meet all guidelines and standards outlined by the organization. We are currently seeking volunteers to join our Safety and Wellbeing (SWB) team as Responders.
Safety and Wellbeing Responders are best known for helping people during a disaster. This role can involve providing emotional support to people at evacuation shelters, connecting with communities by phone or in person following a fire or flood to check how people impacted are coping, or connecting people to services within their community to support their recovery.
In preparation for being successful in this role, all volunteers will be asked to successfully complete an online learning path offered to you free of charge by the CRC. You must be able to commit to completing 2-5 days worth of required online training and attend team meetings and training updates as required.
As a SWB Responder, you will:
- Develop skills that allow you to provide psychosocial support and contribute to creating safe and supportive environments for people impacted by disasters in your own community and beyond.
- Be given opportunities to engage in relief activities and field deployments.
- Join our local Safety and Wellbeing team which is part of our larger Mental Health and Psychosocial Support program, providing psychological first aid and connecting individuals to local resources and supports.
Culture: an organization that is guided by our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality
Opportunity: to work with others, in an environment that promotes continuous learning, support and collaboration
Collaboration: to be an integral member of the SWB team that helps people during a disaster
Training & Development: comprehensive orientation as well as ongoing training and development
Who you are:
- Committed to the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross Movement and model the core competencies of the CRCS: team excellence, service excellence, accountability and results focused
- Open to working closely with Indigenous, Metis and Inuit peoples as well as with the diversity of cultures found across Canada
- Enjoy working in teams
- Comfortable working in fast paced, ever changing environment
- Collaborative, accountable, and reliable
- Respectful of privacy and confidentiality
- Strong interpersonal listening and communication skills.
- Can communicate in a respectful, sensitive, and supportive way.
- Proficient computer literacy.
- Current or previous Canadian Red Cross Instructional training including but not limited to Youth Leader, Respect Education Facilitators, Water Safety Instructor, First Aid Instructor, etc.
- A background in psychology, nursing, teaching, social work, youth engagement, public health, emergency services (police, fire, ambulance, nursing, child and youth services) or related fields
- Fluency in other languages such as French and Indigenous languages
- Must have availability to deploy for 5-14 consecutive days between April and September
- As a Safety and Wellbeing Responder, you will have an impact on the ground in your community. You will be promoting and supporting Community Engagement and Mobilization with existing organizations and ensuring that people who are impacted have access to services that meet their needs.
- Whether you are providing emotional support (via Psychological First Aid) to people affected by emergencies, helping connect individuals to supports and services in their communities, providing information sessions to other team members on psychosocial support and wellbeing topics, you will be making a real difference.
Volunteering for this position can be done by those 18 or older.
This position will require a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check or equivalent.
At this time, the CRC has temporarily suspended our Covid-19 vaccination policy and does not require but continues to strongly encourage full vaccination of all our personnel.
The Canadian Red Cross is committed to gender equality and social inclusion in our workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, color, religion, nationality, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We encourage all qualified persons to apply particularly Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, visible minorities, and others who share our values and contribute to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.
If you are interested in becoming a Canadian Red Cross Safety and Wellbeing Responder, please tell us about yourself along with the skills and experience you can bring to Red Cross by completing an online application:
