Volunteering at R.O.B.S.I.

ROBSI could not run every year without our creative, caring, and dedicated staff made up entirely of volunteers. Every year we need volunteers to serve in the following positions: counsellor, canoe staff, school director, kitchen staff, teacher, lifeguard and healthcare officer. If you love working with children and youth, learning new things and working cooperatively with others, then volunteering at ROBSI may be for you! Hours spent volunteering with ROBSI can be counted towards High School Volunteer Hours.

Program Dates:
Junior, Senior and CIT Programs: June 30th - July 6th, 2024
Murphy's Point Program: July 21st - July 27th, 2024
Canoe Out Trip Program: Augus 11th - August 17th, 2024

STAFF TRAINING

Staff Training Weekend:
All staff are asked to attend a Staff Training weekend, planned for May TBD, 2024 at Providence Point Bahá’í Centre of Learning in Lanark.

Download Forms & Information
Spiritual Assembly Recommendation Form
Clothing and General Kit List

Volunteer registration opens soon!

"...this teaching of the children is a service to the Blessed Perfection. Whosoever serves the world of humanity in this or any other way is serving His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh. Your heavenly reward is with Him. The education of children is one of the most great services. All these children are mine. If they are educated and illumined, it is as though my own children were so characterized..."

Talk of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Holy Land: Star of the West, Vol. XIII, No. 6, p. 172.

To staff its programs, R.O.B.S.I. needs a wide variety of volunteers. There is probably a place for just about anyone.

School Directors for Junior and Senior Schools:
These individuals are responsible for providing leadership for the school population. They work with the teachers and other program staff to develop the school program and schedules. They keep the school running smoothly every day, making sure staff and children are where they are supposed to be, that programs are running smoothly. Schoool directors are usually involved before school in recruiting the rest of the staff. Previous experience in another role at school is an asset.

Directors for Murphy's Point Tent and Canoe School:
In addition to the roles mentioned above, these directors must have outdoor and canoe skills as they will be responsible for planning meals cooked out of doors by the participants and training and leading attendees in outdoor and canoe skills.

Directors for Murphy's Point Tent and Canoe School:
In addition to the roles mentioned above, these directors must have outdoor and canoe skills as they will be responsible for planning meals cooked out of doors by the participants and training and leading attendees in outdoor and canoe skills.

Counsellor in Training (CIT) Leader:
This individual works with youth who want to become counselors, using a program developed by ROBSI. This training takes place at the Junior and Senior School. This individual is responsible for the CITs 24/7 for the whole week so must organize their activities; work with the School Director to incorporate the CITs in the overall school program. Following program, they are expected to provide the ROBSI Board with an assessment of the CITs readiness to serve as a counsellor.

Teachers:
At the Junior School, we need 2 teachers and an arts person. Each receives 3 groups of about 8 kids each day for about an hour each. In advance of school, they work with the director to develop a program based around the theme chosen for the year by the ROBSI Board. Similarly, teachers are needed for the Senior School program, although the structure of the program may be different. A teacher usually forms a part of the team at Murphy's Point as well, although the role may go beyond classes to being a part of the whole program organization.

Counsellors:
Usually, these are youth that have taking our CIT training, although youth with extensive relevant experiences elsewhere will also be considered. Youth are usually assigned in pairs to groups of about 8 participants. They share the sleeping quarters with the attendees, get them up and out in the morning, guide them through their various activities during the day, assisting teachers in classes, supervising the participants at meals. They will also organize some activities, particularly evening activities, and work with the students to prepare skits and other presentations. Counsellors with outdoor skills are also needed for Murphy's Point and the Canoe Trip. The roles here are somewhat different, providing leadership in an outdoor setting. The students are older and take on more responsibility directly so counsellors are focused on motivating them in these responsibilities.

Canoe leaders:
At the Junior and Senior school, the students have a one day canoe trip. The canoe leaders organize these trips, prepare the lunches the night before, make sure all equipment is on hand, make sure all participants have appropriate life-jackets and paddles and provide some instruction.

Kitchen Manager:
This person plans the menus and shopping lists, with the Quartermaster, supervises the kitchen staff in meal preparation, service and cleanup.

Quartermaster:
Determines food quantities and supplies needed, in consultation with Head Cook, directors and teachers. Purchases food and supplies for the progam. Much of this is done in advance of school but this individual also makes regular trips to local towns and Ottawa to resupply.

Cook / Kitchen Assistant:
Under the direction of the Kitchen Manager, prepares food, serves meals, participates in clean-up of kitchen.

Lifeguard:
This person must have National Life Guard certification. He or she will supervise two swim periods each afternoon. As this role does not take up the whole day, he or she will also be asked to assist in other roles around school, in the kitchen or directly with the counsellors.

Health Officer:
At a minimum, this person should be qualified in First Aid, although preference is for a nurse, a doctor or other health professional or someone training towards one of these occupations. This person is responsible for dispensing medications to any child who comes with them, supervision of those with life-threatening allergies to see that they carry their Epi-pens, care of students suffering illness or injury, including accompanying them to hospital if necessary, and reporting back to parents, immediately in an emergency, or at the end of the program for minor issues.

Financial Assistance for Special Qualifications
ROBSI annually needs volunteers with special qualifications to run certain aspects of our programs. This is especially important for the Murphy’s Point and Canoe Trip programs where we require people with Wilderness First Aid or National Lifeguard qualifications. ROBSI is ready to provide financial assistance to anyone willing to take the Wilderness First Aid Training, and to anyone working on their National Lifeguard qualifications (or needing to recertify). Please contact monicaweise@robsi.ca for details regarding either.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Health Status
As always, please stay home if you are sick.

Medications at Camp
Note that if you are bringing medications to ROBSI, you must bring a list of those medications, to be handed to the medical officer upon arrival. These forms will be locked up, to be referenced by the medical officer only if needed, and they will be destroyed after camp. Medications cannot be kept in cabins or rooms shared with children, junior youth or CITs so come prepared to leave them with the medical officer.

Gentle Reminder
While ROBSI is hopeful that all participants in our programs will have a wonderful experience, we want to remind all volunteers that this service can be very demanding physically, psychologically and spiritually. Please be sure you are ready to take on this service.

How to become a staff member:
1. Complete the Volunteer Registration Form. Please submit your application while you are waiting for the following two forms to be completed so we can begin considering if we have a position for you. All volunteers must submit an application every year.

2. If you are volunteering for the first time, you will also need a recommendation from your Local Spiritual Assembly. Please give the Assembly the Assembly Recommendation form found on our website and have them complete it and return it to monicaweise@robsi.ca. If you are not a Bahá’í, please submit a letter of recommendation, preferably from a Bahá’í known to ROBSI.

3. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada requires that all volunteers, age 18 or older, working with children under the jurisdiction of a Bahá’í institution must submit the results of a police check every three years, showing that there is no legal reason that they may not be trusted to carry out this sort of volunteer work. If you submitted a police check in the past 3 years, you do not need to submit a new one, you just need to indicate on the volunteer application form that you have not had any new criminal charges made against you since that time. If you are under 18, you do not need to submit a police check.

If you have not submitted a police check to ROBSI and you are 18 or older, you must do so before we can accept your application to serve. If you have never obtained a police check or haven’t had one done in the past 3 years, please contact monicaweise@robsi.ca with your mailing address and you will be sent a letter that you can take to your local police station or use on-line. Having such a letter in hand may save you the charge that is sometimes levied for this service. Obtaining the results of such a check can take some time, so you need to act now if you plan to volunteer for service with ROBSI.

Submit the results to ROBSI via monicaweise@robsi.ca

"Blessed art thou, since thou art engaged in rendering a service which will make thy face to shine in the Abha Kingdom, and that is the education and training of children. If one should, in the right way, teach and train the children, he will be performing a service than which none is greater at the Sacred Threshold."

'Abdu'l-Bahá, in Bahá'í Education: A Compilation, pp. 31-3

Volunteer registration now open

Now in our 38th Year

"The Heart of Education is Education of the Heart"

Rideau Ottawa Baha'i Schools Initiative Operated under the auspices of the Regional Baha’i Council of Ontario