Volunteer Youth Leadership Group Facilitator – Saskatoon, SK
Kimberly Blain, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has volunteered with the CNIB Foundation for two years. She was introduced to the organization through a friend and after a summer volunteering with kids’ camps, she fell in love with working with the children. Now, she’s a youth group facilitator.
“I really enjoy it and immediately fell in love with the kids,” says Kimberly. “The Youth Leadership program is a safe space where there’s an understanding that it’s okay to mess up, it’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s okay to look silly – there’s no judgement.”
In her volunteer facilitator role, Kimberly runs programs designed by CNIB Foundation staff to teach youth participants life skills, like leadership, and resume writing. Kimberly loves to see the progress the participants make, but perhaps most of all, she loves to see that they are not afraid to try.
“I think one of the most important things the program does is that it gives participants the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers,” Kimberly says. "To meet other youth who have similar lived experiences and can relate to the challenges or obstacles they’ve encountered. It’s bigger than just life skills.”
Kimberly says that volunteering with the CNIB Foundation has been a real learning experience. She now has a greater understanding of the accessibility barriers people who are blind or partially sighted encounter daily.
“I find myself a lot more conscientious,” she says. “It has really altered the way I carry myself in everyday life.”
Volunteering with the CNIB Foundation is truly an open and supportive learning environment for everyone involved!
If Kimberly’s story inspires you to consider volunteering for the CNIB Foundation, fill out the application form below.
