Project K : Volunteer Experience at Active Kids
Creators: name: Wang, Kelly
name: Carvalheiro-Nunes, Delgado
name: Harrington, Ryan
name: Konyu, Samantha
name: Sologastua, Justine
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2024

description: The purpose of the following study was to explore the volunteer experience at Active Kids for Undergraduate Kinesiology students at UBC. Particularly, our study is interested in learning the volunteer's motives in joining Active Kids and how their motivation changed throughout their involvement. This will provide valuable information on potential implementation to improve volunteer experiences. From our surveys, 89.5% of the respondents would recommend the Active Kids experience to other Kinesiology students. In addition, when asked to analyze the motives for joining Active Kids, many valued the importance of hands-on experience and the practical learning environment that Active Kids offers. However, when prompted to detail changes that they wish the program to implement, many propose wishes to include training with children with different disabilities and more workshops to consolidate the specific coaching skills. Proposed Recommendations Our recommendations for potential changes and modifications to the Active Kids program to better enhance UBC’s Kinesiology student volunteer experiences are as follows: 1. Provide specific training sessions based on specific sports programs 2. Include training to work with children with various disabilities (physical and/ or intellectual) 3. Provide continual planning and training throughout the program 4. Increase guidance on certification options and potential career pathways 5. Enhance volunteer engagement through leadership roles Please note that while we recognize the significance of these recommendations in enhancing volunteer experiences and understanding the logistics of program facilitation, we acknowledge that some changes may not be feasible to implement immediately due to logistical constraints. Value With these proposed recommendations, we expect that more Kinesiology students will recognize the values that Active Kids brings in terms of both practical and university experience. These proposed changes have the potential to enhance the volunteer experience, leading to the potential for an enhanced coaching staff pool and expanding new volunteers. Final Thoughts and Next Steps Enhancing volunteer experience brings forth the enrichment of the academic and university experience of Kinesiology student volunteers. From the potential of these proposed changes, we expect an increased volunteer satisfaction rate and enhanced motivation to continue their involvement at Active Kids. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”