Skip to McMaster Navigation Skip to Site Navigation Skip to main content

Volunteers

Volunteering for the First Time

To start volunteering at PACE, all students must first apply through our application form. Before submitting the application, ensure that you have completed the following training, as you will be required to submit these within your application:

-McMaster’s Regulatory Health & Safety Training online modules on Mosaic. These include:

  • Health and Safety Orientation
  • Fire Safety
  • WHMIS 2015
  • Slips, Trips and Falls
  • Ergonomics
  • Asbestos Awareness
  • Violence and Harassment Prevention in the Workplace
  • AODA and Human Rights Code
  • Primer on Privacy
  • PHIPA Training

-Have up-to-date standard first aid / CPR / AED certification, valid for the entire semester you are applying for.

Once accepted for the first time, volunteers will be required to:

-Complete PACE-specific virtual modules and associated quizzes

  • Sent out to successful applicants at the start of the semester

-Complete PACE’s site-specific safety orientation and in-person mandatory training session

  • These are combined into one in-person session lasting approximately 2.5 hours

-Sign the PACE volunteer waiver and confidentiality agreement

 

Returning to Volunteer

Once accepted, individuals who want to return to PACE for another semester of volunteering will reapply using the same application form. You must ensure that your McMaster Regulatory Health & Safety Training and standard first aid / CPR / AED certification are valid, as they will be required on the application to return.

Returning volunteers do not have to re-complete the site-specific orientation, in-person training, or modules. However, the volunteer contract and PACE code of conduct are to be signed at the beginning of every semester of volunteering.

 

Volunteer Commitments

Volunteers are expected to achieve 60 hours of in-person attendance for each semester. This is done by signing up for 2 shifts per week, 2 hours in length over the course of the semester, including exam weeks. Potential shift times are as follows, Monday to Thursday:

Main Gym Neuro Gym
8 AM – 10 AM –
10 AM – 12 PM 10 AM – 12 PM
1 PM – 3 PM 1 PM – 3 PM

*Please note that there are a limited number of spots for each 2-hour block.

 

Want to see what PACE looks like? Click below for a virtual, 3-D tour of our Main Gym!

 

Take the Tour

Frequently Asked Questions

We completely understand that other commitments may occasionally conflict with your scheduled volunteer shifts. All volunteers have access to a log sheet that allows them to input their planned absences. This allows other volunteers to sign up and provide coverage, ensuring that everyone can reach 60 hours per semester.

Yes, before the end of each semester, a new application form will be released for everyone who wishes to volunteer at PACE, new or returning.

Due to the personal nature of writing a reference letter, we require volunteers to have achieved over 100 hours of volunteering across their entire volunteer career. This ensures that we have had ample time to become familiar with you in this position. Once this has been achieved, you will then fill out an online form, where you will provide additional information, such as who you would like to write your letter (typically the senior staff member who is most familiar with you), where you are applying, and answer questions to provide greater insight as to your motivations. Please note that student staff members are not permitted to write a reference letter.

Due to the high volume of requests and to ensure the quality of letters from our facility, we limit the number of reference letters to 25 per application cycle. If you would like to request a reference letter, be sure to do so at a minimum of 30 business days before the due date.

More information about the regulatory training, including how to enroll in and complete the training, can be found at this link here.

This page contains the information required to ensure a complete application and answer the most common questions. However, if further information is required, please email pacevol@mcmaster.ca