I have been working as an International Student Advisor at Memorial University of Newfoundland for the past 8 years. When you have worked in one place for a while, you notice some normal cyclical changes and if you are fortunate enough, you also get the opportunity to see shifts in consciousness. One shift that has stood out for me is how our current international student population is becoming involved in their community like never before. There are many examples of this in various spheres of our society; from increased employment of international students on campus to visible representation of international students in student government. But the one that has the biggest impact for me is the rise in international students who volunteer.
As an advisor, one of the things I enjoy most is observing the differences in the student population from year to year. While every year brings some of the same (first comes pre-arrival prep, then comes arrival prep, orientation, then exam stress and you get to start all over again!), it also brings change: the most notable of which is student turnover. It is often sad to see students move on, but it also brings excitement to see fresh faces, which helps to bring new perspectives from both a generational and cultural standpoint. The changes in perspectives and personalities generate different dynamics among groups of students and cause me to remember different things about the groups of students that pass through this institution. The thing I will remember about this current group of students is the maturity and professionalism they show in their approach to volunteering.
I remember a time, not too long ago, when we would always schedule additional staff to work an event since the volunteers we recruited rarely showed up. This has changed drastically! I am happy to say that many of our events and programs are successful one hundred percent due to the wonderful volunteers we have. They are keen to help, show initiative, do not feel any task is beneath them, and devote much of their time to volunteer activities.
I do not wish anyone think that our past experiences with volunteers is a reflection on the students. Rather, I see it as a reflection on the circumstances of the time. At that time, we had fewer international students, fewer staff and fewer programs that targeted volunteering directly. Today, we have many programs that actively promote the benefits of volunteering and we have a critical mass of students receiving these messages.
At Memorial University, we have been passing along the message of the importance of volunteering for the past three years through the Professional Skills Development Program (PSDP) for international students. This program helps to prepare international students for the Canadian labour market and deals with various aspects of career development including interview preparation, networking and volunteering. To date, the program has seen 353 graduates. Over the past few years, Memorial has also been very fortunate to involve both our domestic and international students in a peer mentoring program called MUN Mentors, where first year international students are matched with senior students. Many of our mentees have moved on to become mentors themselves, which makes it clear to see how the experience of volunteering can rub off on a new generation of students. For information about these programs, you can visit www.mun.ca/isa.
I look forward to seeing what future changes our international student population will make to the Canadian international education landscape. One thing is for sure; our currents students’ involvement in the local community positively impacts Canada’s international education programs and will hopefully do so for many years to come.
Natasha Clark
International Student Advisor
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Tel: 709-864-2170
Email: [email protected]