Volunteer Orientation at the UEC (1/23/2012)

Volunteer orientation and evaluation is something the UEC takes seriously. Interested volunteers begin by attending a one and a half our orientation session in which they learn about the history and current activities at the center.  The morning ended with a top-to-bottom tour of the center.

After the orientation, prospective volunteers must fill out an extensive application, including two character references who are neither family nor friends.  When the completed application is returned to the UEC, they conduct a background check.  Most of the center’s activities involve children, so they need to carefully ensure their volunteers will not be potentially dangerous to the children

I turned in my application and waited.  A couple of weeks later, my manager mentioned that he received a call from the UEC.  The volunteer coordinator asked about my work ethic, timeliness, and whether or not I was easy to work with.  This seemed very similar to any reference call I’ve received regarding an employment inquiry.  This impressed me; the Urban Ecology Center takes as much care in vetting their volunteers as most companies do their paid employees.  After this, I would just need to have a final call with a volunteer coordinator, and then I could get to work.  A little more waiting. . .