Imagine NB・Volunteer

← Imagine NB・Become Involved

My mentor helped me gain confidence. She taught me that I shouldn’t let others’ opinions take control over me. She helped me with my community projects and gave me insightful feedback. She also educated me on different world issues that I didn’t know about. – Alumni of Imagine NB Program

As we share in our 2017-2020 Imagine NB Impact Report, volunteers are crucial and necessary both to the success of this program and to the leadership growth of the delegates.

As we begin a new cohort and we look for a fresh group of young leaders, we are also on the lookout for community members who desire to be a part of a youth’s leadership journey, who have the availability and the capacity to dedicate their time and expertise, and who are passionate about working with youth, for youth.

We are currently recruiting for the roles below. All positions and roles are voluntary, but the expenses involved in your participation are covered by NBMC.

If you wish to be a part of our Imagine NB family, please consider applying for one or both!

Mentors

The value of mentorship for Imagine NB

New Brunswick is a province where “who” you know matters. Whom you are connected to, is a stepping-stone to landing a future employment, career development or community leadership opportunity.

If we are lucky and have great mentors around us, we begin to understand this importance and to nurture and enrich every community interaction at an early age to build our social and professional networks.

However, what happens when you arrive to a new country, new city, new community and know very few people? A lack of community connections and an absence of mentors youth can look up to and relate to, becomes a barrier that may affect youth’s career acceleration, youth’s leadership development, and how well youth integrate and excel right here, in New Brunswick.

Mentors have the power to change this. Mentors assist in the development of young leaders and while doing so, they become more self-aware of their leadership style and give back to themselves, their community and their profession.

Imagine NB aims to create bridges and linkages between New Brunswickers and New, New Brunswicker youth to foster meaningful intercultural dialogues, connections and in many cases, friendships.

What is the time commitment/engagement of Imagine NB’s mentorship?

  • Imagine NB delegates and community mentors are asked to complete at least 10 hours of mentorship between the months of October 2020 and March 2021.
    • The 10 hours can take various forms, for example: a coffee/tea appointment, work shadowing, or the Imagine NB delegates might invite the community mentor to a school event to learn more about what they do and provide feedback, etc.
    • The Imagine NB delegates and community mentors together decide how best to complete these hours as per their availability and schedules.
  • A mid-way mentorship check-in with the Program Manager of Imagine NB.
  • The Imagine NB delegates and community mentors fill out a survey at the end of the mentorship to share learnings and outcomes.

How are Imagine NB delegates and community mentors matched?

  • Each Imagine NB delegate completes an exercise at the beginning of the program that helps identify their interests and passions. Similarly, each community mentor is asked to complete a form to share their interests and passions. Delegates and Mentors are matched based on similar profiles.

What is the role of a community mentor in Imagine NB?

  • Help the Imagine NB delegate clarify learning goals and how mentoring and you as a mentor can help.
  • Serve as a ‘sounding board’ to the Imagine NB delegate by providing effective feedback that supports and challenges the Imagine NB delegate’s professional development.
  • Share your own unique experience and knowledge with your Imagine NB delegate so that they can benefit from your background, experience, lessons learned, etc.
  • Guide, support, coach and encourage the Imagine NB delegate to develop talents and skills.
  • Facilitate Imagine NB delegate community and networking opportunities.

Why get involved as a community mentor in Imagine NB?

  • Engage in and give back to yourself, your community, your organization or profession.
  • Become more self-aware of your leadership style and practice.
  • Assist in the development of young leaders.
  • Build your own mentoring skills and practices.
  • Increase your satisfaction through sharing knowledge, skills and experience.
  • Support academic, career and community engagement of Imagine NB delegates.
  • Expand your network and learn about diversity and inclusion.
  • Be energized through fresh perspectives.

Interested in becoming a community mentor for Imagine NB? Apply today!

Whether you shape the next great entrepreneur or help them accomplish a personal goal, you will make a difference.

Being a mentor is a rewarding and insightful experience and we would love to get you involved!

  • Complete the Mentor Information Sheet [insert link].
  • Send an updated copy of your resume to Arianne Melara at Arianne.melara@nbmc-cmnb.ca

If selected to be a mentor, you will need to submit a criminal record check. More details will be provided via email.

Chaperones

Imagine NB’s chaperones are the magic helpers that enable the dream to happen. They are key to the program and they play three main roles and responsibilities:

1. Drivers

Imagine NB is a provincial program. Between the Bay of Fundy with the highest tides in the world, the co-existence of diverse cultures and history (i.e. Indigenous, Acadian, Irish, etc) and all the covered bridges and lighthouses in between, New Brunswick has too much to offer. We want our youth to know it.

To make it so, Imagine NB delegates are given the unique opportunity to travel all corners of New Brunswick’s geography to get up close and personal with a local reality and access leadership development.

We need youth chaperones who can drive a group of youth from their local community to the location of a leadership accelerator retreat and back to their community once the retreat is over.

Usually, leadership accelerator retreats happen during the weekend (Friday to Sunday) and youth chaperones are required to stay with us for the entirety of the retreat.

NBMC covers all costs related to travel (i.e. car rental, accommodations, meals, etc).

Please note that due to the global COVID19 pandemic and Public Health regulations, the Imagine NB will be moving towards a blended programming including both in-person and virtual retreats. More information will be shared soon!

2. General support to program manager

As the familiar saying goes, it truly does “take a village” to execute all the components of what makes Imagine NB leadership retreats feel like an enchanted moment in the lives of everyone involved.

Youth chaperones support in a diverse range of tasks. Some examples include, stepping up to address a particular youth’s needs, organization of workshop materials and facilitation, or being the spokesperson for the program manager when they need to step out to take care of pressing matters that arise.

Youth chaperones will be provided training in the areas of youth allyship and cultural competency in addition to other important aspects of working with youth for youth.

Youth chaperones are required to be present at the retreats at all times and respond to Imagine NB’s program manager.

3. Companions of youth

Imagine NB is an intensive program demanding much from the Youth delegates and Adults involved.

But it is also an extraordinary adventure in humanity and a journey of companionship for the youth involved.

Being a youth chaperone is not an engagement for a single day or a single weekend. We are looking for youth chaperones who are interested in a long and lasting engagement.

 

What is the benefit of being a youth chaperone?

Youth delegates describe the program as a magical interlude and an important rite of passage into adulthood.

The adults involved discover unique life stories, multi-faceted cultures (beyond clichés and beneath surface appearances) and charming young people. Lasting relationships are built.

 

What can you contribute as a youth chaperone?

Without those of you who made up our framework of adult support, this all would have been in vain. Imagine NB would never have been born. You committed to sharing your knowledge, experience and networks with our youth.

 

Are you convinced yet? Apply today!

To be a youth chaperone you must be at least 21 years old and reside in New Brunswick.

  • Complete the Imagine NB Youth Chaperone Form (insert link).
  • Reference Check Form.
  • If selected to be a youth chaperone, you will need to submit a criminal record check.