To start National Volunteer Week (NVW), I’m excited to share my perspectives on the tremendous value and impact generated by volunteers across the country. I’m also hopeful that this week presents an opportunity for leaders to reflect on why Canada needs new narratives that support and enable emerging models of participation and volunteerism. For Canada’s social recovery to truly take hold, the country needs to re-imagine the value it places on its volunteers.  What if we recognize volunteering, bringing people together with the causes and challenges that matter most, as an essential element in social change?

This year’s theme for National Volunteer Week is Volunteering is Empathy in Action. As the new president and CEO of Volunteer Canada, the national organization that champions volunteerism, I am truly overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of volunteer