How is the Traditional Canadian Value of Volunteering Surviving?

The aim of this thesis is to test and consequently disprove or confirm the hypothesis that with the large influx of immigrants to Canada, volunteerism might not be able to survive in its present form. In the theoretical part of the work focus has been set on term definition and volunteering classification because it is a structured activity with its own rules and policy. History of volunteering has been described in the following chapter. This part goes beyond the history of volunteering in Canada since it is a deeply rooted Anglo-Saxon tradition which had been brought there by the British and French. The last chapter has been dedicated to the current situation of volunteering in Canada including a profile of a volunteer and possible current threats. The practical part has been based on a survey conducted among York University community members and an analysis of their answers. This survey became, together with my visit to the 2011 Toronto Volunteer Fair and an in-depth interview, the main source for the comparison of practice and theory.