Welcome to the Speakers Bureau

Thank you for volunteering!

Your efforts as a volunteer with the Speakers Bureau makes an important contribution to helping youth make informed decisions about their career goal and their journey towards achieving it

Here's an overview of what comes next and our expectations of volunteers. We also suggest some other options for how you can help us to deliver our mission.

Next Steps

1. Once we receive an educator request, the BEP will search the volunteer database to find a suitable match. A volunteer could be recruited tomorrow, in a month or anytime throughout the school year.

2. Volunteering with us has no minimal time commitment; you accept only the opportunities that fit your schedule. Most opportunities are during school hours

3. If you are a good fit, an email will be sent to you with suggested dates and times, plus details about the request. We ask educators to submit requests at least a month in advance.

4. After reviewing the details of the request, respond as soon as possible to confirm or decline.

5. Once a request is accepted, you and the educator will get a confirmation email with each other’s contact information. The educator will provide you with further instructions, discuss class dynamics and answer any questions you may have. Often educators will wait until closer to the event date to reach out but feel free to reach out to them if you have any questions that need their attention.

6. You will receive an email reminder one week prior to the event date. If your schedule has changed try to reschedule with the educator if possible.

7. Please email [email protected] to ensure we are aware of the change or if another speaker needs to be scheduled.

8. Arrive at the school or virtually as scheduled to share your career journey with the students.

9. After your presentation you will receive a thank-you email and a link to a survey to provide feedback. It is greatly appreciated as this assists with making the experience the best for all. Educators are provided with a link and the BEP will provide you with any feedback they receive. Feel free to ask the educator for any feedback after your presentation if time allows too.

10. If after several months you have not received a volunteer request and would like us to try to find one for you, please do not hesitate to reach out to [email protected] and we will contact our educators.

Volunteer Code of Conduct

At the Business & Education Partnership, we are accountable for the ways in which we work and have a duty to keep ourselves and others safe. This is achieved by maintaining a respectful, caring and professional approach to those we come into contact with and by conducting ourselves in a way that demonstrates integrity, maturity and good judgement.

As a Volunteer, you must:

1. Inform the BEP of any changes to the details you provided on registration (including in relation to any fact or matter which would prevent you from being issued with a clear Police Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening);

2. Give advance notice to Educator if unable to keep any scheduled commitment;

3. Remain in direct proximity to the organizing Educator or an assigned school staff at all times while volunteering in person at schools;

4. Abide by expectations provided by the Educator (e.g. School Code of Conduct) to maintain a positive learning environment;

5. Communicate respectfully with BEP staff, Educators, Students and other Volunteers, including being inclusive and non-judgmental towards others’ educational/career choices;

6. Communicate to the BEP immediately if you witness behaviour by Educators or other Volunteers that concerns you or contravenes these terms and conditions;

7. Comply with BEP’s policies and procedures including the Program Terms & Conditions.

As a Volunteer, you must NOT:

1. Use any personal contact information provided via the BEP for any unsolicited, commercial or marketing messages except as expressly authorized;

2. Pass any personal contact information provided via the BEP to any third party without express consent of the person in question;

3. Be alone with students without being visible to the Educator or assigned school staff;

4. Have any inappropriate contact inside or outside the classroom (or other place you fulfill Volunteer activity) with any student met through your Volunteer activity, including those students under 18 years. Inappropriate contact includes but is not limited to violations of federal or provincial laws regarding child abuse, providing alcohol or other controlled substances to minors or having alcohol on a school campus, use of profanity or inappropriate language while volunteering, or physical contact which is inappropriate to a teacher-pupil professional relationship considering the age and sex of the student;

5. Record or publish images or videos of students. If posting your own photos or video to social media about your presentation, avoid showing any faces or ensure you have blocked them out;

6. Denigrate individuals or groups, including based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital/family status, or disability;

7. Behave in any manner that could endanger the safety and well-being of students, school staff or BEP staff.

Breaches will be taken seriously and may result in removal from the program.

Reporting Concerns

We enact a shared responsibility model to support the safety of everyone involved in our organization. If you witness any behaviour contrary to these policies, committed by any participating educators, other BEP volunteers or BEP staff, it is your responsibility to communicate this to the BEP as soon as possible.

Staff can be reached at 226-642-0880 or by email:

Program Manager: [email protected]

Executive Director: [email protected]

If you have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection, you are required to report your concern directly to Family and Children’s Services at 519-576-0540. You can find more information here.

In the event of imminent danger, please call 911.

We request that you notify the BEP in the event that you make a report to FACS, call emergency services, or experience any unsafe situation through your volunteer experience.

Other Ways You Can Help

Refer a Friend

Tell your friends, family and colleagues to sign up as Speakers Bureau volunteers and share their unique career story. You can help us build our network of volunteers so we can influence, inspire and educate the youth of Waterloo Region.

Follow us on Social Media

To stay up to date, you can subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You can also post about your volunteer experiences (avoiding or covering student faces on any images) - be sure to use the hashtag #BEPWR!

Financial Support

The BEP is a registered charity which relies on the financial support of local businesses and community members to positively impact young people in our community.

Consider making a contribution from your company, or connect us to relevant decision makers from your organization or others in your network. Or you can contact us to discuss opportunities for sponsorship. Learn more about partnership opportunities for your organization [PDF].

Donations can be made via CanadaHelps.

Thank You

Thank you for being part of our Speakers Bureau! By sharing your story, you can open young people’s eyes to a wider range of possibilities for their future.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or call us at 226-642-0880.