Communiqué

National Volunteer Association Board Meeting
Correctional Service Canada
November 27-28, 2010

New Member – The National Volunteer Association (NVA) Board welcomed Marie-Carmelle St-Germain who joined the board in May 2010 to represent the Quebec Region.  

Mark Nafekh, Acting Director General, Citizen Engagement – Members felt fortunate to have Mark present.  Mark was pleased to address the group for the first time.  He spoke about future NVA initiatives and offered his support in advancing the agenda.   

Freedom Letters – The NVA received a request regarding information about the potential existence of a pen pal project for offenders in Canada.  A response will be prepared and will be coordinated with two members from the Prairie Region who have experience in this area.   

Federal Community Corrections Strategy Presentation – Elizabeth Smith, acting Director General, Community Reintegration Branch, met with the Board for an hour and provided an overview of the Community Corrections Strategy.  Board members are pleased this strategy is being implemented and welcomed the opportunity to be engaged in that strategy over the next number of years.  The members provided Elizabeth with many recommendations.  

NVA Work Plan – The Board reviewed issues from a local, regional and national level, related to the work plan that was created at the April meeting.  Progress was noted in action plans from across the country.  The Board anticipates that there will be a greater capacity to respond, and move the agenda forward between now and the end of the year.  Members spent time refining the Board Terms of Reference and the Code of Ethics for volunteers.

Research on Volunteers – The Board invited Caleb Lloyd, PhD student at Carleton University and his supervisor, Dr. Ralph Serin, to provide an update on the research project they are developing which focuses on CSC volunteers and male offenders in the community. Mr. Lloyd's research includes a software-based training component for CSC volunteers as well as a series of questionnaires designed for the offenders.  The purpose of this initiative is to evaluate what effects the "cutting edge" training program will have on the ways the volunteers offer support and how the relationship between CSC volunteers and offenders assist in reintegration.  Board members provided Mr. Lloyd and Dr. Serin feedback, and several people on the NVA Board were identified to assist with the pilot phase of this project. Mr. Lloyd’s goal is to identify 300 volunteer-offender pairs from various regions.  The NVA Board members are, in principal, supportive of this research as they believe the research has the potential to further the quality of service that volunteers provide.  At the same time, the Board expressed caution that the research might have the potential to interfere with the volunteer-offender relationship.

Community Relations Regional Conferences – The Board discussed the Community Relations Regional Conferences which will be held prior to the end of this fiscal year.  The Conferences aim to bring together Volunteers, Citizen Advisory Committees, LifeLine stakeholders, and CSC staff in a common goal: to create better relationships for improved public safety.  Details of the conferences will be provided soon.

Special Events – Board members were pleased to highlight that next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers as well as the 10th anniversary of the creation of the NVA and the Taylor Award.