Volunteering

There are a variety of positions at the City of Oshawa to suit your interests, skills and schedule.

Interested in...

Select a volunteer area for more details.

City hall entrance with pink blooming flowers

Advisory committees

Black and white cat sitting beside and brown and white dog laying down

Animal Services

Event Volunteers

Oshawa Youth Council

activeOshawa Registered Programs various people participating in programs

Recreation

Volunteer with Animal Services

Oshawa Animal Services volunteers

We offer many exciting experiences such as:

Dog walking
Feline enrichment
Pet photography
Adoption promotion

Volunteering with Oshawa Animal Services is sure to be fun and exciting. You will be contributing to the physical and emotional well being of the animals in our care.

How to get involved

Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and complete the following below by clicking Apply Now!

After you submit your application:

We will connect with you for an interview
After the interview, you must attend an orientation and training with an Animal Services team member

Apply now!

Fostering animals

Our foster program temporarily provides a safe and loving home for cats and dogs in need. They will stay in foster until they can return to our adoption centre to find loving homes. Our program offers a second chance to many animals. All supplies and medical care for animals in foster are covered.

Reasons animals will enter the foster program:

Too young for adoption
Pregnant and nursing cats and dogs
Sick or injured
Socialization

Fostering can last a few days or as long as 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the particular animal's needs. If you are interested in fostering, please fill out the foster applications below for dogs or cats.

Foster Dogs application

Foster Cats application

If you have further questions please call 905-436-3311 or email animal@oshawa.ca for more information.

Volunteering with PetSmart

Volunteering with cats at PetSmart is a rewarding and enjoyable experience for animal lovers. By spending time with them, volunteers help to socialize the cats, making them more comfortable around people and increasing their chances of finding a forever home.

Volunteering at PetSmart not only benefits the cats but also provides personal fulfillment and a sense of community. Whether you're an experienced cat handler or just starting out, volunteering at PetSmart offers a meaningful way to contribute to the well-being of cats in need!

Apply now!

Doggy Day Out

Someone let the shelter dogs out!

We are proud to announce our new Doggy Day Out program, which pairs members of the community with our long stay shelter dogs for field trips!

Outings can include a hike, a trip to the beach, a nap in a home or even a nice lunch! It’s a great way for people to get their pet-fix in and to give our dogs a break from the shelter and learn more about their wonderful personalities! Plus, it’s a great excuse for you to spend time exploring!

Doggy Day Out was designed to make it easy as pie for you to participate! Fill out a short application below and the shelter team will call you to coordinate! Soon you’ll be on your way with your brand new friend! You'll be given everything you need for your adventure by shelter staff.

Apply now!

You are welcome to apply, but there may be a wait before you can start

Animal Services volunteer opportunities are unavailable at this time

Volunteer interacting with a dog

Event volunteers

The previous event volunteer application window has closed. Stay tuned for the next opportunity to volunteer in Fall 2026!

While the volunteer application window is closed for this intake, we invite you to come out and enjoy our City‑run events! Join us as an event guest to see our current volunteers in action, explore the available roles, and get familiar with and inspired for the next volunteer intake. It’s the perfect way to get ready for our next volunteer intake in Fall 2026

Typical roles

Event greeters: Answer questions about the event, provide programs and information, and help our guests find their way around the event.
Event assistants: Help with set up, tear down, float around the event footprint, and assist displayers and vendors.
Survey takers: Ensure we meet the needs of our community by collecting data and feedback from event attendees.
Rewards assistants: Run games and provide prizes.
Administrative support: Assemble swag bags and packages for the community, either at home or on-site.

What we provide

Event materials, snacks, drinks, and event designated clothing.
Flexible schedule, based on your availability.
Connection. First hand interactive experiences engaging with residents from diverse backgrounds working towards a common goal.
Growth. Gain valuable municipal government experience, build self-esteem, confidence and leadership skills as you begin your work life, are new to the community or look to increase your community involvement.
Development. Learn new skills, exposure to new community initiatives, gain knowledge which may benefit others, while gaining professional experience.
Support. Be a part of bringing the community together creating positive City of Oshawa experiences. The City of Oshawa values volunteers and is committed to supporting their success (including approved high school community hours).
Teamwork. Meet up and engage with like-minded individuals and residents, build camaraderie – creating new bonds while strengthening the community.
Positivity. Giving back provides a valuable impact to the community – the Events Team values the support of each and every event volunteer.

Volunteer requirements

Minimum age requirement is 15.
If under 18, you will require a guardian's consent to participate.
Pride for their community, personable, reliable, and enjoy interacting with people face to face.
Possess critical thinking skills, able to problem-solve with minimal supervision.
Attend mandatory trainings with a commitment of volunteering at a minimum of three events, or equivalent of 8 hours per year to stay active.

Successful volunteer candidates will attend a mandatory in-person orientation.

Application process

Fill out online application.
Complete an availability survey.
If selected for an interview, complete a virtual on-line screening, which consists of a 20 minute interview for us to meet and for us both to get to know one another.
All interviewees will be emailed their status and next steps.
Successful candidates will complete online training components.
Attend a mandatory in-person orientation at the Civic Recreation Complex.

Event volunteers at events

Volunteers are sent a list of events for the upcoming event season. This list is sent as general information and may not include all opportunities.

Before each event:

About 4 to 6 weeks before each event, the Coordinator responsible for staffing the event will email all volunteers event information.
Volunteers who are interested in volunteering at the event will respond directly to the Coordinator.
The Coordinator will schedule volunteers and offer orientations before the event.

Stay tuned for the next opportunity to volunteer in the fall of 2026

Volunteer with our Events team

Two volunteer men outdoors, smiling and giving a thumbs up hand gesture

Volunteer with Recreation Services

The Recreation Services Volunteer Program offers opportunities to support recreation programs, local activities and events. Participants can make new friends, gain valuable experience and make a positive difference.

About volunteering

Objectives:

Support recreation services staff in delivering quality programming, events and community engagement Increase community engagement and connection
Provide meaningful volunteer opportunities
Develop volunteer and leadership skills
Promote inclusion, accessibility and belonging

Opportunities (note there may not be openings in all areas)

Aquatics
Arts & Culture
Camp
Dance
Fitness
Food & Nutrition
Ice
Inclusion
Preschool
Sports'
Youth

Apply now!

Volunteer requirements

Volunteers must be 15 years of age, any volunteer under 18 requires a guardian's signature to participate in the program
Demonstrate reliability, personability, punctuality, professionalism and enjoy interacting with people
Possess the ability to solve problems and think critically
Demonstrate passion or skillset in the volunteer programming opportunity
Once volunteers pass the interview selection, references are checked, a Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Screening is submitted and training can begin

Application process

Volunteer applications are accepted between June through to August each year, for Fall program placement, and between October through to December each year, for Winter program placement.

Applications will be reviewed and successful volunteer applications will be contacted for an interview.

Evaluation

To provide growth, success and ensure safe high-quality recreation programs, Volunteers will be evaluated by their Program Coordinator.

To ensure all volunteers have a meaningful experience, feel supported, and equipped, each volunteer will have an opportunity to complete a Recreation Services Volunteer program evaluation.

Training

Volunteers will be provided with volunteer-specific training as well as site-specific training.

Volunteer-specific training includes: