Transitioning from military to civilian life is a profound change that some veterans find challenging. The strong sense of purpose, structure, and camaraderie that defines military service can lead to a void once that chapter ends. The shift to civilian life may feel unexpectedly quiet and disconnected, which can take a toll on their well-being. The impact can be even more pronounced for those navigating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other chronic conditions.
Funded by the True Patriot Love Foundation, a research team at the Queen’s School of Nursing has recently highlighted a promising pathway to help fill this void: volunteering.
“Volunteering is a powerful way for anyone to support their communities and make a real difference” explains Dr. Alyson Mahar, Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing and co-lead of the project. “For veterans, whose identity and daily lives have long been shaped by service, volunteering may resonate even more. It provides an opportunity to use skills and expertise developed in the military in different ways or to explore new and exciting challenges and opportunities in the community.”
To examine how volunteering affects veterans and supports their transition to civilian life, Dr. Mahar and Dr. Christina Godfrey (School of Nursing Professor and Director of the JBI Center at Queen’s), with two undergraduate Nursing students and a Health Quality graduate student, reviewed studies across the world on who volunteers, what benefits emerge, what motivates veterans to engage, and how they choose roles that match their skills and interests.
While the review included global perspectives, the team was especially interested in how these patterns play out in Canada: “We recognize that the needs, supports and volunteering opportunities available to veterans vary significantly across countries,” notes Dr. Godfrey. “Understanding Canada’s unique context is essential to developing effective support frameworks.”
The findings highlighted an important gap in the literature: although volunteering can offer veterans a renewed sense of purpose, meaningful social connections, and opportunities to apply their skills, leadership, and core values in their communities, none of the studies focused on the experiences of Canadian veterans or examined how to best integrate volunteering into Canadian veterans’ transitions to civilian life.
"The most significant takeaway from the review is key opportunities are being missed. We need to bridge this gap to better support veterans during and after their transition to civilian life" says Dr. Mahar.
When asked how to close this gap, Dr. Mahar and the team offered clear, practical guidance:
- Charities helping veterans (including via volunteering) should build formal program evaluation into their work and check who benefits by age, gender, race, location, and other identities.
- Scientific studies are needed when volunteering could harm veterans or is used to treat health problems, and results should be reported by demographic groups.
- Before creating volunteer programs, organizations should do a needs assessment to learn what kinds of volunteering veterans prefer.
- More research on veteran volunteering is needed, using surveys, interviews, and existing national datasets to guide policy and programs.
- Policymakers should consult major charities and veteran advocacy groups to understand support and barriers for volunteerism.
These recommendations – and more detailed insights – are outlined in the full review report. Encouragingly, progress is already under way. True Patriot Love Foundation, Canada's leading organization supporting military members, veterans and their families -and the organization that commissioned the study- has initiated the development of a national strategy for veterans and volunteering. The research has also attracted media attention, featuring in publications such as The Hills times.
As momentum builds, there is growing optimism that meaningful actions will follow, forging a clearer pathway to fill the void many veterans face and strengthening their connection to community through the power of volunteering.