Summary Report - Jon

Jon and I worked together for nearly six weeks. In that time, he has shown remarkable progress in his knowledge of the volunteering sector - what it involves, what is expected of the volunteer and the host organization, the societal and personal benefits of volunteering, and how volunteering fits into the community at large. My work with him has helped Jon become more confident in his ability to be independent in the community, and hopefully instilled in him a spirit of volunteering that could lead to not only more volunteering opportunities, but also internships and even paid work in the non-profit sector, as well as excellent references and relevant skills for any future job searches.

My instruction of Jon followed the guidelines set out by Alberta Education for the CTS module Community Care Services (CCS) 1080: Community Volunteerism 1. In this course students learn about volunteering in the community, research volunteering opportunities,  perform volunteering duties, and evaluate and dialogue on their experiences. Through dialogues in ASL, independent online research and written assignments Jon demonstrated understanding and competency in all the topics and learning outcomes expected for a student in CCS 1080. His written work can be found at the following link:
http://jonsummerwork.blogspot.ca

All questions and assignments done by Jon were taken from and adapted from the CCS 1080 curriculum. Most of them were also expanded on in ASL to ensure Jon had complete understanding of what he was to do. While Jon struggles sometimes to understand written work, when translated into ASL and expanded on he is generally able to understand the material quickly and fully.

Jon is a caring and sensitive person by nature, and was prone to easily agreeing to anything I asked of him. I was concerned that he might not have fully thought through things I proposed to him with regards to the time and energy required or the amount of skill and knowledge he would need. However, with a few minor hiccups, Jon never once complained or balked at the duties and expectations put to him by me, my colleagues, or his volunteer supervisors. He demonstrated to me that when he makes a commitment or obligation, he can be trusted to carry it out to the best of his ability. This is THE essential skill of a volunteer, community contributor, or good employee. As a result, I am not overly concerned by Jon's ability to retain any kind of employment or position of responsibility that he manages to obtain. Following his volunteer work at the Heritage Festival for the Edmonton Food Bank, I received a very positive message of thanks and appreciation from his volunteer coordinator including an offer to be considered for other volunteer opportunities within the Food Bank organization.

Based on Jon's work and my evaluations, I would make the following recommendations for him:

- That Jon be recognized as having fulfilled the expectations to obtain credit for completing CCS 1080: Community Volunteerism 1.
- That Jon is prepared to take the next course in the series - CCS 2080: Community Volunteerism 2.
- That Jon follows up on his recent success  and - time permitting - obtain a ongoing volunteer commitment with the Food Bank, either on a regular schedule in their warehouse or as a volunteer during special events they are involved with, as per Jon's preferences and availability. Such opportunities would also aid Jon in completing CCS 2080 as well as earn him valuable skills and experience for his future resume.