The season of goodwill is nearly upon us – and it kicks off with two days where across Canada we celebrate people who give back and encourage others to join them. Giving Tuesday, on November 28, comes after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and calls for people to put a hold on spending and donate to their chosen charity instead.

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National volunteer day, meanwhile, falls on December 5, and promotes the work of volunteers nationwide.

So it’s a good time for us to be talking about giving- and not just in the financial sense – giving your time is just as valuable as giving money.

The benefits of volunteering are well documented.  It’s good for your health, it can help you gain new skills, and strangely enough, giving away your time can even make you feel like you have more time to spare.

For many people, volunteering is something that happens outside of work, by helping out where you live – but what about your professional community? At TRIEC, we provide programs, tools, and support that established professionals can use to give back and help newcomers succeed in Canada.

Mentoring is one way you can give your time and make a tangible difference. Through The Mentoring Partnership, people who have worked in Canada for three years or more volunteer to mentor a newcomer with experience in their field, by sharing their insights into the Canadian job market.

Over the years, thousands of fantastic mentors have joined the program, gaining coaching and leadership skills, and professional development support.

TRIEC is also lucky to work closely with another group of amazing volunteers. Professional Immigrant Networks is a network of professional associations across Toronto run by and for internationally trained professionals. The leaders of these associations have all immigrated to Canada at some point themselves, and have been motivated by their experiences of looking for work to share their thoughts and advice. They make time after the demanding jobs that they do during the day to reach out and help other people who are in the same position they once were in.

The result is an invaluable network of untapped talent. PINs association members work in a huge cross-section of fields and industries, so incidentally, if you’re looking to recruit outside of the traditional talent pool, this is a great place to connect to it.

Over the years, we have seen so many examples of how giving time in a work-based context helps to build thriving and vibrant professional communities. As the holiday season approaches, it’s a good time to think about how you can contribute in your own profession. What will you do to give back?

Find out more about becoming a mentor

Find out how to connect with a professional immigrant network