Volunteer at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Get Connected. Join Our Community. Become Inspired.
Join our team of dedicated, enthusiastic and like-minded people from all parts of Canada and the world. Help us share the Canadian immigration story.
Meet with our staff to get a detailed introduction to volunteering at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Learn how volunteering at our museum is right for you.
Come and share cross-cultural experiences with your fellow volunteers and learn about Canada’s immigration history. Revive a forgotten talent and become actively involved in your community. Gain marketable skills and contribute your voice to multiculturalism in Canada as a volunteer at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. There’s no better place to feel Canadian.
Volunteer Positions
There are many shoes to fill and we need talented people to fill them!
Choose your area of interest:
- Community Programming
- Education
- Museum Gift Shop
- Rental Events
- Research
- Visitor Services
All types of people from all different backgrounds volunteer at our museum. Retirees find it a vibrant atmosphere to meet new people. University students find they gain skills and training they can take anywhere. And everyone becomes inspired by the immigrant stories we learn and share.
Contact Laura McLean, Volunteer Services Manager, by email lmclean@pier21.ca or by phone (902) 425-7770 ext. 245 to set up your interview.
“I was a participant of Welcome Home to Canada program at Pier 21 from November 2009 to May 2010. During this period, I also saw a lot of visitors there who had come to Canada through Pier 21 before. They had experienced what I was experiencing at that time, the cultural shock, the stress of migration to another country, the nostalgic feeling about their countries. I felt that we were in the same boat. So, after finishing my work term at Pier 21, I stayed there as a volunteer. What I love about this place is that not only I learned a lot about Canadian history and geography, but also I found my first friends in Canada. I learned that I am not alone and there are always people out there to help me and this is huge! This means a lot to me.”
"When I first started working I was the youngest volunteer and the first one to be in a wheelchair. I was just 17 years old that first summer. The first summer, I introduced the Oceans of Hope film and gave announcements. I enjoyed this and it gave me the opportunity to speak French. My friend Paul, who is also a volunteer, kindly helped me get my wheelchair down to the front of the film theatre. The last three summers I have done a part of the guided tour. I enjoy doing this because it gives me experience interacting with tourists from all over Canada, the US and also other countries. I really like hearing the alumni stories. Some of them are very emotional. Currently I do the tour with another volunteer, Condon. I have learned a lot about giving tours from him. I really appreciate how Condon and I do the tour as a team—the tourists really seem to like this. It is a great honour to work in an Immigration Museum which is now also a National Museum!"
“After watching the opening of Pier 21 while living in Toronto and witnessing the extraordinary enthusiasm of all involved, I vowed to be a part of it when I moved home. As it turned out, the need for volunteers was greatest in the education department. The team couldn't be kinder or more appreciative. And being with the children—the joy is indescribable!”
