Hitting Two Birds with One Stone

By Chloe Jang, Humber Student

When people learn a language, the most important way to improve it is using the language on a daily basis. Even though I’ve learned English for more than 10 years, speaking is the hardest part for me. It is also very hard to develop because I’ve had less opportunities to speak English. After I came here, I expected to meet a great number of natives so that I could exercise speaking persistently however, unless I tried to make chances participating in any social groups it was hardly realized. The groups could be schools, churches, welfare organizations or even sport-clubs in the community.

The scenery of the Lakeshore Lodge

There are several enrollment steps in order to apply for a volunteer work in Lakeshore Lodge. Firstly I had to turn in both an application form and two reference letters (not family or friends). To get the forms, it is mandatory for all applicants to take part in the orientation held once a month at the Lakeshore Lodge. After that, I had an interview with the person in charge and then was requested to submit my police check from my country. As far as I experienced, it takes at least two months to register to the lodge formally. So you have to make sure the confirmation period when you make a plan for volunteering especially during the vacation.


A wide range of activities in Lakeshore Lodge


In the Lakeshore Lodge, there are a lot of seniors whose average age is 91, and the lodge delivers a number of programs for the residences such as the tuck shop, bingo, pub, one-to-one visiting, fundraising and so on, by volunteers. For me, by meeting and helping the elderly on weekdays, I can not only use everyday English naturally with seniors and other volunteers, but also feel worthwhile to do it as if I am contributing to the Canadian society, which make me more confident.

Do you want to improve your English especially speaking?

Hitting two birds with a stone by doing valuable things as a volunteer in Canada!




By: Chloe Jang