Volunteering can help soften the blow of discrimination

The power of connection

Photo: Contributed

Volunteerism, at its best, is one of the most accessible and meaningful ways to build community connections, says Karin Knight.

Last week, I read a recent Statistics Canada report on discrimination and the protective power of connection.

While it’s an stark reminder of the hardships many racialized people in Canada face, it’s also a hopeful message about the strength found in belonging.

The report states that nearly half of racialized Canadians, whether born here or immigrants, have reported experiencing discrimination in the last five years and most have faced it many times over. The incidents happen everywhere—on the street, at school, in workplaces and in stores. And the impact runs deep. The study found that those who face discrimination are twice as likely to report poor mental health and far less likely to feel hopeful about the future.

But here’s where the message shifts. Those with strong personal relationships—supportive family and friends—are dramatically less affected. Among the people who experienced discrimination, only 13% of those with strong social connections reported poor mental health, compared with 42% of those without those relationships.

Their life satisfaction was also far higher. Even their trust in democracy, unity, and economic opportunity improved when they had solid social ties.

And that’s where volunteerism comes in.

Volunteer programs, when run well, build exactly the kind of personal networks that strengthen resilience. They bring people into regular, meaningful contact with others. They give everyone a shared purpose. Spaces develop where people are known, valued, and included. Friendships can be formed. That doesn’t erase discrimination but it can counteract its effects.

I know someone who moved here a few years back. He was an experienced professor of literature in Nigeria but was having no luck finding work here. He dealt with several incidents that left him feeling isolated and questioning whether he’d made a mistake in moving to Canada.

He started volunteering at a local library, partly to keep busy and partly to meet people. By the end of his first month, he was staying late to chat with staff. A few months in, he was leading one of their programs. He ended up working for the library and is now studying part time to get his masters degree in library science.

“Volunteering helped me stay upbeat,” he said. “It reminded me that most people are welcoming and friendly. The nasty ones aren’t as common as it sometimes feels.”

That’s the power of connection. The Stats Canada report shows that the kinds of supportive relationships that volunteering can provide don’t just improve wellbeing. They also help build or rebuild trust in community and country. People with strong social networks were far more likely to feel optimistic about their lives in Canada – even when they have experienced repeated discrimination.

We, as leaders of volunteers, can gain several insights from this. Volunteering can be a protective factor for people but the relationship building must be intentional. It’s not just being around other people. It’s the quality of the relationships that matters. For racialized volunteers, programs can become a place of genuine belonging. That sense of belonging can protect against the psychological impact of discrimination. We need to make sure that, regardless of differences, that everyone feels welcome and that they belong.

Representation matters. We all feel more comfortable when there are other people like ourselves around us. Volunteer programs that reflect the diversity of our communities make it easier and safer for people to participate.

Organizations need to acknowledge that discrimination is real. If nearly half of radiacalized Canadians report they have experienced or are experiencing discrimination, then many of our volunteers are living with that fact. Creating inclusive policies and practices isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about protecting people.

And here’s a thought. Volunteers’ social connections should be treated as an outcome, not just a by-product of volunteering. When we report on our program’s impact, we often focus on service hours or program results. The research suggests that connection itself is an outcome worth measuring and what we measure, we can work to improve.

Over the decades that I’ve worked with volunteers, I’ve seen first-hand the power of connection. Volunteering introduces people to one another across backgrounds, ages, and experiences. It turns strangers into teammates and teammates into friends. It creates belonging in a world where belonging can’t always be taken for granted.

The Stats Canada report puts hard numbers to something most of us see every day. When people have strong social ties, they are more resilient and better equipped to face life’s hard times. Volunteerism, at its best, is one of the most accessible and meaningful ways to build those ties.

And for many people – especially those who have had their well-being attacked through discrimination – a warm welcome, a shared laugh, one small moment of genuine connection can be the start of feeling strong again.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.