A living tradition, given a structure.
Slow roots make a strong bloom.
Volunteer Kahnawà:ke is the community’s first structured volunteer program: a hub that connects community members with meaningful ways to help, supports local organizations, and gives a long tradition of helping one another a place to keep growing.
See the road so far
A formal home for an old strength.
Volunteer Kahnawà:ke recruits, matches, trains, and supports volunteers, and stands alongside the organizations that need them. It doesn’t replace the helping that already happens here - it gives it a place to gather and grow.
MissionTo revive the spirit of volunteering through a structured format, matching individuals with non-profit groups for a meaningful volunteer experience.
VisionA vibrant Kahnawà:ke where every community member has the opportunity to contribute, belong, and thrive through the power of giving back.
Rooted in Tsi Niionkwarihó:ten, Our Ways.
Volunteer Kahnawà:ke is part of Tsi Niionkwarihó:ten, not the other way around. We’re not bringing in an outside program - we’re reviving a way of life that was always here. The program is also designed to support Kahnawà:ke’s Community Wellness Plan and the community’s Vision Statement.
Ka'nikonhrí:io
Helping with a good mind, expecting nothing in return.
Ka'satstenhsera
Many small hands become a strength no one has to carry alone.
Skén:nen
Giving your time quiets the mind and steadies the whole community.
The community already said yes.
In 2024, PlanIt surveyed 367 community members - by phone, at community kiosks, and online - interviewed 30 organizations and 30 individuals, and held four focus groups, including one for youth.
of people surveyed support creating a structured volunteer program in Kahnawà:ke.
volunteer to make a contribution to the community.
feel a sense of achievement through volunteering.
reported improved mental health after volunteering.
don’t know how to get involved.
say they don’t have the time.
say no one asked them.
said volunteers would help fulfil their mission.
Even one hour counts.
Planted in stages.
- 1Year One
Listening first
Research, community consultation, and a framework for how the program should work.
2Year TwoBuilding the foundation
Governance, a community home, a team, and the tools the program needs before it opens its doors.
- 3Year Three onward
A community-led pilot
A three-year pilot, led by Kahnawà:ke, for Kahnawà:ke.
Year One, 2024-2025
- A review of volunteer programs and research, and relationships with Volunteer West Island, the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal, and Centraide.
- A community survey answered by 367 people, interviews with 30 organizations and 30 individuals, and four focus groups, including one for youth.
- A framework for how the program should run, and an asset map of about 73 local non-profits and grassroots groups.
Year Two, right now
- Drafting governance documents, including a constitution and by-laws and terms of reference for the Advisory Committee.
- Bringing together the Advisory Committee.
- Setting up the program’s home within the community.
- Preparing to hire the program’s first staff.
- Building the tools for registration and matching - volunteer registration is already open.
What Year One taught us
People asked how to sign up before the program existed.
The program is rooted in Tsi Niionkwarihó:ten, not imported from outside.
Reaching young people took a dedicated focus group, and youth voices are a priority on the Advisory Committee.
A big public campaign was held back until the pieces were in place, so no one is promised something that isn’t ready.
Volunteer West Island generously shared their documents and experience.
Many hands, from the start.
Volunteer Kahnawà:ke is being built by and for the community, with a clear plan to be led by the community.
The community
Volunteer Kahnawà:ke exists because the community asked for it. Hundreds of community members and dozens of organizations shaped it from the start.
An Advisory Committee
Community members - volunteers, youth, elders, and people from local organizations - who will guide the program’s direction, confirm its mission and priorities, and take part in hiring its first coordinator. The committee is being formed now.
A community home
Volunteer Kahnawà:ke is being set up within a local community organization, so the program is held in Kahnawà:ke from the start.
PlanIt Consulting & Communications
An Indigenous-led, women-owned consulting firm based in Kahnawà:ke. PlanIt led the Year One research and is doing the groundwork of Year Two - governance, tools, and hiring preparation - so the program can be handed to community leadership.
This is where you come in.
A tradition this old deserves a future. Help us tend it.
Questions or ideas? Email info@volunteerkahnawake.ca.