Safety and Wellbeing Responder

Volunteer opportunity conditions:

• Location : in-person and virtual.

The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) - an inspirational not for profit organization, helps people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supports them in strengthening their resilience. We are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free working environment.

The Safety and Wellbeing Team is looking for volunteers to be part of their mission. Safety and Wellbeing Responders help in a disaster, providing emotional support to people at evacuation shelters, connecting with communities by phone or in person following a fire or flood to check how people impacted are coping, or connecting people to services within their community to support their recovery.

As a volunteer in this role, you will:

• As a Safety and Wellbeing Responder, you will have an impact on the ground in your community. You will be promoting and supporting Community Engagement and Mobilization with existing organizations and ensuring that people who are impacted have access to services that meet their needs.


• Whether you are providing emotional support (via Psychological First Aid) to people affected by emergencies, helping connect individuals to supports and services in their communities, providing information sessions to other team members on psychosocial support and wellbeing topics, you will be making a real difference.


• You will develop skills that will allow you to provide psychosocial support and contribute to creating safe and supportive environments for people impacted by disasters in your own community and beyond.


• Engage in relief activities and field deployments supporting people and communities.


• Be part of our larger Mental Health and Psychosocial Support program, providing psychological first aid and connecting individuals to local resources and supports.

You bring these essential talents:

• Strong interpersonal listening and communication skills.


• Can communicate in a respectful, sensitive, and supportive way.


• Proficiency in computer literacy.


• Considered an asset but not required: Current or previous Canadian Red Cross Instructional training including but not limited to Youth Leader, Respect Education Facilitators, Water Safety Instructor, First Aid Instructor, etc.


• Considered an asset but not required: A background in psychology, nursing, teaching, social work, youth engagement, public health, emergency services (police, fire, ambulance, nursing, child and youth services) or related fields


• Considered an asset but not required: Fluency in other languages such as French and Indigenous languages.

A satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check or equivalent is mandatory for all personnel volunteering or working with the CRC.

Minimum volunteer hours/period :

• You are available and ready to respond when disaster arises, this means:


• You are able and willing to respond in the upcoming response season, typically but not exclusively April to October


• You are available to support Disaster Response activities outside of you community for a minimum 5-14 consecutive days


• You are available to support Disaster Response activities within your community for up to 3 consecutive days and/or


• You have completed your training and attend meetings regularly, so you are up to date and ready to respond.


• Attend team meetings and training updates as required. Online training for up to 2 - 5 days.