Volunteer with Unitea
Sip. Chat. Connect.
Connection starts with a conversation, and what better way to connect than over a cup of tea or coffee? The Unitea volunteer program strives to boost student connection at the University of Alberta in three ways:
- One-to-one conversations
- Group conversations
- Fun and meaningful broader campus activities and events
Through engaging with students in these three ways, Unitea volunteers can connect with their peers in supportive, respectful, safe, and meaningful interactions while developing their skills as stellar conversationalists and community engagers.
Unitea Mission and Vision
Mission: Building community one tea at a time.
Vision: Fostering open communities where voices are heard, well-being is promoted and social interactions flourish.
Unitea is strengthened by the diversity of its volunteers. We strive for inclusion that reflects a variety of lived experiences, identities, perspectives and beliefs of our hosts.
Why Volunteer with Unitea?
If connecting with peers over a hot beverage or organizing fun activities that bring students together sounds like your cup of tea, we would love to hear from you. All of our volunteers receive training in supportive listening, group facilitation skills, and a variety of other topics to help you in your role.
Unitea encourages applications from all students and is pleased to support accommodations for volunteers and participants. Feel free to connect with Unitea unitea@ualberta.ca should you wish to discuss accommodations.
Opportunities (North Campus)
Are you interested in volunteering with Unitea? We will be recruiting in the 2025 Winter term for the 2025/2026 academic year in the Winter. Complete this form if you want to be notified when our application opens.
Unitea Hosts must meet the following volunteers requirements for September 2024:
- Have turned 18 years of age by September 1, 2024 or will be turning 18 years of age by December 31, 2024.
- Enrolled as a part-time or full-time student at the University of Alberta for the academic year at the North Campus.
- Completed the Community Helpers Program before September 1, 2024.
- Submit a Police Information Check/Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Check from the location of their main address (i.e. the address on the candidate’s government-issued ID)
- Completed 22 hours of in-person and asynchronous training, including Host Orientation in August and September.
- Approachable: empathetic, compassionate, non-judgmental, genuine, and demonstrates active listening skills.
- Openness: committed to learning and demonstrating equity, inclusion, and diversity principles.
- Motivational: enthusiastic, creative, and takes initiative.
- Collaborative: adaptable, flexible, and works well in a team environment.
- Professional: respectful of others, upholds boundaries and confidentiality and privacy.
- Accountable: reliable, timely communication, and displays sound time-management practices.
- Community-minded: foster a sense of belonging, inclusion, and openness.
- Please note we require those applying as Collective Hosts to have strong group facilitation skills, and Outreach Hosts should have strong interpersonal skills. Project management experience is an asset for the Outreach Host role.
Commit to at least one (1) academic year (i.e. Fall & Winter terms) with the Unitea program.
Important: All Unitea Hosts are stewards of the Unitea program and, by extension, the University of Alberta. All volunteers are expected to uphold confidentiality and provide assistance to peers (within capacity).
Boost student mental health and well-being through social connection by 1) planning, organizing and carrying out meaningful activities and events that reflect the values of Unitea, and 2) supporting campus community dialogue and program-related activities.
Responsibilities
- Plan, organize, and carry out 1 to 2 campus outreach events/activities per term.
- Collaborate with Wellness Supports Health Promotion Outreach colleagues to plan, organize, carry out regular social events.
- Use active listening skills to support students in meaningful ways at outreach events/activities.
- 1x office hours each week for promotional work and activities.
- Participate in campus community dialogue events/activities, including tabling.
- Attend regular meetings and trainings.
- Participate in on-going professional development training, including feedback sessions and check-ins with supervising staff.
- Assist with program promotion (i.e. distribute program materials like posters) during the Fall/Winter terms.
Time Commitment
- 1 hour/week: office work for program-related promotional work.
- 4 hours/month: plan for monthly socials and outreach events/activities, including group meetings and independent time.
- 5 hours/month: organize and carry out monthly socials and outreach events/activities.
- 2 hours/month: mandatory team meeting and professional development.
- Total: 15 hours/month or 3.75 hours/week
Boost student mental health and well-being through social connection by 1) meeting with undergraduate and graduate students for one-to-one conversations, including discussions that may be casual/lighthearted and meaningful/supportive, and 2) supporting campus community dialogue and program-related activities.
Responsibilities
- Engage in 2x weekly 1-hr tea time shifts and substitute shifts as needed.
- Use active listening skills to support students in meaningful ways.
- Able to discuss a range of topics (e.g., time management, exam stress, language practice, questions about campus, hobbies/interests, and everything in between).
- Refer students to appropriate supports and debrief with Unitea support staff (as needed).
- Communicate with student guests as needed through the booking system (e.g., send welcome message, follow-up with services and resources, etc.).
- Participate in campus community dialogue events/activities, including tabling.
- Attend regular meetings and trainings.
- Participate in on-going professional development training, including feedback sessions and check-ins with supervising staff.
Time commitment
- 3 hours/week: 2x scheduled one-to-one tea time shifts (inclusive of the activity itself, preparation, documentation, and administration).
- 2 hours/month: mandatory team meeting and professional development.
- 1 hour/month: campus and program-related activities (i.e. tabling, poster distribution etc.)
- Total: 15 hours/month or 3.75 hours/week
Boost student mental health and well-being through social connection by 1) facilitating group conversations with undergraduate, graduate students, and specialized groups, and 2) supporting campus community dialogue and program-related activities.
Responsibilities
- Facilitate 2x monthly 1 hr group conversations (1x could be a specialized collective tea time i.e. SpecialTea)
- Prepare topical themes, talking points, prompts to be used in collective discussions
- Use active listening skills to support students in meaningful ways
- Set-up, take-down, and store collective tea time supplies
- Refer student guests to appropriate supports and debrief with Unitea support staff (as needed)
- Participate in campus community dialogue events/activities, including tabling.
- Attend regular meetings and trainings.
- Participate in on-going professional development training,including feedback sessions and check-ins with supervising staff.
Time commitment
- 5 hours/month: 2x collective tea time shifts (inclusive of the activity itself, set up/take-down/store, documentation, and administration).
- 4 hours/month: prepare topical themes, talking points, prompts group discussions.
- 3 hours/month: promotion and coordination SpecialTeas.
- 2 hours/month: mandatory team meeting and professional development.
- 1 hour/month: campus and program-related activities (i.e. tabling, poster distribution etc.)
- Total: 15 hours/month or 3.75 hours/week
Volunteer application process
Unitea’s application process has a few steps so that our volunteers are a good fit for the program and the program is a good fit for them.
Our application form includes sharing a bit about yourself and completing some short-answer questions. Your answers will help us see if our program values match yours. The information you provide will remain confidential with Wellness Supports staff and is only used to determine your suitability for our volunteer roles.
The volunteer application form may take up to 30 minutes to complete. Should you wish to exit the form before submitting, please save your answers in a separate document (i.e., Word or Google Document). If you have any questions about your application, please email unitea@ualberta.ca.
To be considered for a Wellness Supports volunteer position with Unitea, individuals must be available to attend:
- If applying for the Outreach Host position:
- In-Person Group interviews:
- Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; or
- Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- In-Person Group interviews:
- If applying for the Collective or One-to-One Host position:
- In-Person Group interviews:
- Monday, March 18, 2024, 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; or
- Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- In-Person Group interviews:
- Remote individual interviews between March 25- to April 12, 2024 for successful candidates of the group interviews.
- Remote Wellness Supports Volunteer Onboarding Session for Unitea Hosts, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.; 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 pm; or 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
- Mandatory in-person Host Orientation: Saturday, September 7, 2024, 9:00 p.m - 5:00 p.m.
- Mandatory in-person Host Training: August/September (Dates and Times to be determined)
![Smiling UniTea volunteer](../../../../../media-library/ualberta/students/community-social-work/Unitea 2019/danielle.jpg)
Unitea Volunteer - Danielle
"My favourite part of any conversation is when we touch on a subject that the tea time guest is really passionate about. There's a light that goes on in their eyes and a brightness that spreads across their face when you find something you both have in common or a shared experience. I remember one conversation in particular about childhood pets that helped a guest and myself to connect, not only through our shared love of our past pets, but also the connections these memories have to our childhood homes, which we both no longer live near."