Volunteers are vital to the success of our organization, and we are grateful for the hundreds of hours our volunteers dedicate to the work of the Canadian Pride Historical Society. This volunteer spotlight is for Priya Sivarajan, one of our Research Coordinators based out of Toronto, Ontario, read more below.

Before volunteering at the CPHS, what was the most unusual or interesting volunteer job you’ve ever had? 

Before volunteering at the CPHS, the most interesting volunteer job I had was working as a program assistant for the CanSkate program at my local rink. I began when I was 11 and did it just until the pandemic began, and loved getting to teach skaters of all different skill levels, and see them come to love skating just as much as I did! I was never doing quite the same thing: sometimes I’d teach just one completely new skater, or I’d teach a whole group of nearly ten, or I’d come up with fun games we could play. I learned a lot about communication and creativity, and came to love my sport in a whole new way.

How has the CPHS helped you in your professional development?

The CPHS has helped me learn to become a more resourceful researcher, and a better problem-solver. This has helped me in my academics, as I have become more efficient at finding what I need for papers and assignments. I also know that this will help me in my summer job this year, as I will have to learn many new things and solve problems I have never before come across.

What do you find the most challenging at the CPHS?

I find that learning more about the smaller, rural Prides can be quite difficult. These are such an interesting and vital part of what Pride in Canada is and can be, but due to their smaller community sizes, information can be a bit more difficult to come by. But I find that only makes it more rewarding when you’re able to find a novel way to find the information you’re looking for.

What do you like the most about the CPHS?

What I like most about the CPHS is that it’s ever-evolving – we’re always looking for ways to get even better and accomplish our mission in new ways. We’re never doing the same thing in the same way, which makes it so much more interesting to do this research.