1. Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
c/o Volunteer MBC, 7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3
(905) 238-2622 x229
ovcn@volunteermbc.org
www.ovcn.ca
For Immediate Release July 19, 2013
OVCN celebrates the first graduates of the Volunteer Management Training Network
Safer and more inclusive Ontario communities via the ‘Volunteer Screening Training Program’
Have you heard of the 2012 Edition of the Screening Handbook? This valuable resource explains why a Police
Record Check is just but one step, one tool, in screening volunteers. The key to a successful screening program is
to use ‘The Ten Steps of Screening’ found in the Screening Handbook in a way that best suits a specific volunteer
position within your organization.
The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) is proud to announce the first graduates of our New ‘Volunteer
Management Training Network’. Our first series of Lunch & Learn Webinars: “Volunteer Screening Training
(VST)” was delivered in partnership with Volunteer Canada and Volunteer MBC (Mississauga Brampton
Caledon); funding for this national initiative was provided by Public Safety Canada.
“There is great value in the material created by Volunteer Canada, and the support of Public Safety Canada in
disseminating this information and offering Volunteer Centres the opportunity to become leaders in their
community as it relates to the 10 Steps of Screening. Launching OVCN’s Volunteer Management Training
Network to meet the needs of communities by training and certifying Volunteer Centre staff on best practices
for screening volunteers is a great step forward to building a stronger Ontario through Volunteer Centre
services” says Manon Germain, Network Manager.
The VST Train-the-Trainer series was offered FREE to members of the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network, and
designed to certify Volunteer Centre staff in Ontario to conduct their very own Screening Training initiatives by
using the handbook as a platform, along with the resources and tools that were shared during the webinars. We
all know that this is in high demand in the non-profit and volunteer sector; therefore the OVCN is committed to
ensuring that we deliver high quality material to Volunteer Centres and staff, as well as ongoing delivery of up-
to-date material to support the continuous shifts in local / provincial processes for Police Records Check.
“It is encouraging to see that a national campaign of this magnitude was initiated to focus towards giving due
credit to each step in the 10 Steps of Screening. Especially Ontario being home to a higher level of diverse
communities, a diligent practice to focus on all 10 Steps of Screening definitely opens doors to discover and
engage valuable and unique talent which the non-profit and volunteer sector can immensely benefit from”
states Shaminda Perera (Assistant Manager, Community Engagement of Volunteer MBC) who was the facilitator
of the VST Train-The-Trainer series.
It’s all part of promoting and developing volunteerism in Ontario. With 6.3 million Ontarians volunteering
annually, the non-profit sector contributes more to the Ontario economy than transportation and construction
combined.
MORE

2. Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
c/o Volunteer MBC, 7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3
(905) 238-2622 x229
ovcn@volunteermbc.org
www.ovcn.ca
PAGE 2
The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) is an unincorporated network of 24 Volunteer Centres in
Ontario, guided by a volunteer steering committee. The OVCN’s mandate is to provide a provincial network and
voice to strengthen the individual and collective ability of Volunteer Centres in Ontario to promote and develop
volunteerism.
Find out more about ‘Certified Trainers’ and the ‘Volunteer Screening Training Program’ by visiting the
OVCN’s webpage: http://www.ovcn.ca/safer-more-inclusive-ontario-volunteer-screening-training
Media Contact:
Manon Germain, Network Manager, Ontario Volunteer Centre Network, manon@ovcn.ca
905-238-2622 ext. 229
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