My ‘We Day-Toronto’ Volunteer Experience

It pays to apply, even if you’re late!

As an  international student studying Corporate Communications & Public Relations, I came into the program with the mindset that I needed to get experience and lots of it in the Canadian PR industry. So when I received an email from program coordinator Barry Waite about volunteering in media relations with Free the Children, I jumped on the opportunity. Bear in mind that I was fresh off the plane from Jamaica and had never heard of the organization before. Unfortunately, I received an email saying that the volunteer positions were filled but I was however being placed on a waiting list. In my mind that was a polite “no thank you” so I shelved it in file 13.

However on the morning before the event fate would so have it that I would receive a call asking me to not only volunteer at We Day the next day but also to attend an orientation that night – of course I said yes. They thanked me profusely for the last minute effort but I was just excited that whoever dropped out so I could have this opportunity.

I had to learn the key messages of the group, and really fast. Free the Children is one of the largest organizations that mobilizes children to empower other children and they have been doing some fantastic work. The flagship initiatives are the Adopt a Village program where children raise money to supply food to Kenyan villages as well as the Food Donation drive where children collect canned foods during Halloween, instead of treats, and donate these to local food banks.

We Day is the annual event that seeks to honour the hard work and commitment of children throughout the year and every child present at the celebratory event had to have clocked hours in local volunteering. With tributes from A-list celebrities like Nelly Furtado, Kardinal Official and Danny Glover the event was quite impressive. What impressed me most though was the passion that child co-founders, now adults, Craig and Marc Kielburger still have for the cause.Needless to say the event was a blast and the experience was worth it.

It was important for me to see how well the media relations team treated the journalists and to be able to relate that to what we learn in class about practicing good media relations. The media was provided with a luxurious lounge where once they checked in there was a volunteer to answer any question they had and to escort them wherever they needed to go, even to the washroom. The lounge also had comfortable seating and space for them to file their stories. There was also a TV screen where they could watch the concert live while getting refreshment. I met so many interesting and personable journalists and got to see the hard work pay off when I read the excellent reviews that the journalists submitted to their news agencies, in the following days.

By Danique Williams, CC&PR Student, Class of 2012