FAQ
What is the difference between junior and senior positions?
Free Your Mind consists of different teams, and each team is made up of around 3-10 General Volunteers and a team Director. There are also Director positions that do not oversee a specific team, like the Director of Accessibility, and Director positions that oversee multiple teams, like the Director of Communications. General Volunteer is a junior position, and Director is a senior position. Senior positions carry more responsibilities, are expected to commit more hours, and may be expected to lead a team of volunteers.
Junior volunteers are welcome to take on a second role, if they wish, after at least four months with us and if they can demonstrate the capacity and ability to adequately meet the higher demands of a dual role. We do not allow senior volunteers to take on more than role at a time due to the high demands of senior roles.
What does “Virtual” Volunteering mean?
All of our volunteer opportunities are virtual: they can be done online! We use a combination of different online platforms and tools to communicate with each other and carry out our activities, including but not limited to: Google Suite (Meets, Gmail, Drive, etc.), Discord, Zoom, and WordPress.
Some of our activities are synchronous, which means volunteers need to interact with each other in real time (examples: attending team meetings, hosting events). Other activities are asynchronous, which means that they can be done individually at the volunteer’s own pace (examples: writing a blog, designing a social media post). All of our volunteer positions include both synchronous and asynchronous activities.
If you have more questions about the virtual aspect of our programming, please feel free to contact us.
Where are Free Your Mind volunteers from?
Free Your Mind was founded in Calgary, Alberta, but now we are proud to have youth volunteers across Canada! (And a few outside of Canada, too.) All of our positions are virtual, which means volunteers have the flexibility to stay in their role regardless of where life takes them. Volunteers joining us from time zones that are farther away may face some challenges with attending our meetings and events, but we attempt to accommodate everyone to the best of our abilities and we encourage you to reach out if you have any questions.
Will I ever be expected to attend an in-person meeting or event?
We are currently exploring ways to engage our volunteers with in-person activities and meetings, but our planning is in its preliminary stages. You will not be required to attend an in-person meeting or event.
I would love to get involved with Free Your Mind and I don’t care which role I get. How should I apply?
We’re delighted that you’re wanting to get involved with us! Please keep in mind that a successful applicant to each of our teams will have some level of specialized skills, unique to that team, prior to entry. While our organization is a space to grow and improve those skills, it may be more challenging without some of this pre-existing knowledge. We strongly encourage you to review the Recommended Skills and Responsibilities of each role to make sure that you are considering only roles for which you are best suited for, in terms of both interests and skills.
Once you have done so, please see the FAQ below for information on how to apply for more than one role and what to expect if you are accepted.
A final note: we embrace that our organization is primarily youth-led and youth-run, which means that it’s okay if you don’t hit every recommended criteria! We encourage you to apply, or contact us with questions you have about applying!
I am interested in, and have skills suited for, more than one role. What are my options?
If you are interested in and have the skills for more than one position, that’s great! There are a few things to keep in mind before applying and following a successful application.
When applying, you may do so in one of the following ways:
- 1
If you are interested in more than one role, please submit only ONE APPLICATION to the team that you are most interested in, and note your interest in other teams at the end of the form, such as saying “I would most like to join Team A, but I would also like to be considered for Team B if I am not accepted to Team A.
- 2
If you remain equally interested in more than one role, please pick any form to submit only ONE APPLICATION, and note your interests at the end of the form.
If your application is successful, please note that Free Your Mind accepts volunteers to one team at a time. Junior volunteers are welcome to take on a second role after at least four months with us, if they can demonstrate the capacity and ability to adequately meet the higher demands of a dual role. We do not allow senior volunteers to take on more than role at a time due to the high demands of senior roles.
Is there an age limited to volunteering with Free Your Mind?
Most of our volunteers are youth aged 12-25 years as part of our mandate to platform youth voices. You may apply at any age as long as you can demonstrate your ability to address the needs of contemporary Canadian youth.
How long is a volunteer term?
All of our volunteer positions are ongoing, with no set end date. Each year you volunteer with us, we will hold a review meeting between you and your team Director. Depending on you and your Directors’ opinions, you may either leave the position, change positions or continue on in the same position. This is something we do to help make sure everyone is in a position that still feels like a good fit for them.