Home  >  H&H Blog  >  June, 2012

Archive for June, 2012

Rapid HIV testing clinic at Project 10!!

by Health Services on

 

Head & Hands and Project 10 are teaming up to offer a special rapid HIV testing clinic! Come on down and get tested at the P10 drop-in on Thursday July 5th between 6:30-8:30pm! Dr Tellier from the H&H clinic will be on site to answer questions about safer sex and sexual health.

  • For youth aged 14-25
  • In the basement of 2075 rue Plessis
  • Limited spaces, first come first served.
  • It’s free! (bring your medicare card if you have one)

Why rapid testing?

With rapid HIV testing technology, with a simple prick of the finger you can receive your HIV result in minutes. Knowing your HIV status is an important step for preventing the spread of the virus and treating people living with HIV.

Get tested. Know your status. Because knowledge is power.

Ch-ch-changes: Meet Our New Health Educator!

by Head & Hands on

Sensies at the volunteer party! From left: Nikki (outgoing Health Educator), Gabrielle (new Health Educator), Caytee (Sense animator)

As sad as we are to say goodbye to Nikki after four years at Head & Hands, we are so pleased to welcome Gabrielle as our new Health Educator and Sense Project Coordinator! Gabrielle came to Head & Hands as our UQAM sexology intern–and then our resident sexologist-on-strike–this academic year. She worked with Nikki and Jos to produce an amazing new resource, STIgmazine, and facilitated workshops galore with the Sense Project. Her knowledge, skills, and background in sexual health, group facilitation, and collective decision-making will be a huge asset to our team!

Special Legal Services

by Head & Hands on

We are excited to announce that over the next six weeks we’ll be offering additional legal services to those involved in the student movement and/or the opposition to Loi 78!

Our Legal Coordinator, Ralph, is available to anyone between ages 12 and 25 to provide information about your rights, the letter of the law, and how to contest a ticket. You can reach him by emailing legal@headandhands.ca or calling 514-481-0277.

We have reserved spots in our legal clinics with lawyers Daniel Barza and Paul Gouveia, on June 27th, July 11th, and July 26th, for anyone involved in the movement who needs legal advice. These lawyers can help you strategize around contesting a ticket, preparing for a court date, and what to say when under arrest. Legal clinics are by appointment; to make yours, give us a call anytime during our opening hours at 514-481-0277. Please mention this post or your involvement in the movement when you call so we know the reserved spots are open to you!

Finally, we’ll be offering workshops on contesting Loi 78 tickets and how to interact with the police in partnership with Daniel Barza and Paul Gouveia in July. Dates will be announced shortly!

Construction at J2K

by Head & Hands on

There’s construction underway out front at J2K for the next month or so! We’re keeping the drop-in centre open as much as possible, but appreciate your patience with any unforeseen closures. Currently, J2K is meeting in the former BCA space at 3757 ave Prud’homme. You can always call the main offices at 514-481-0277 to find out what’s going on any given day!

AGM 2012: Proposed Bylaw Changes

by Head & Hands on

Check them out! We’ll be voting on these at our AGM on June 13th!

Article 3.00 - Membership Qualifications

Current BylawProposed Changes
The following shall be Members of the Association:
a - The Applications for incorporation;
b - Any person or persons who may be appointed Members by a resolution passed by the Board of Directors or by the Members at a properly constituted Special or Annual General Meeting		Replace with:
There shall be the following types of Members of the Association:
a - Donor members;
b- Staff members;
c- Volunteer members;
d - Client members.
Eligibility for the above types of membership shall be as follows:
Donor members: any person who has made a personally significant financial contribution to the Association within the preceding 12 months.
Staff members: any person currently employed by the Association.
Volunteer members: any person who nominates themselves as a volunteer member after making a personally significant volunteer contribution to the Association during the preceding 12 months, and whose nomination is confirmed by the permanent staff member who they worked with most closely. Such memberships are valid for the current fiscal year.
Client members: any person who nominates themselves as a client member after having one or more personally significant client experiences during the preceding 12 months, and whose nomination is confirmed by the permanent staff member most connected to their client experience. Such memberships are valid for the current fiscal year.
Rationale:
Currently, the only way to be a Member of Head & Hands is by making a personally significant financial contribution. This aims to reinforce the importance of taking collective responsibility for Head & Hands’ financial health, but does so at the cost of excluding important voices from our democratic process. We hope to develop additional means of involving all members in supporting the organization financially, while reducing barriers to participation in membership discussions and decision-making. In terms of tracking membership duration: it’s easy to pull a list of all donors for a given 12-month period from our database, and we will hold an annual client/volunteer ‘membership drive’ to encourage self-nominations for this membership type one month or more before each AGM.

Article 4.00 - Membership contribution

Current BylawProposed Changes
The annual fee is to be determined by the Board of Directors and confirmed by the Members at a General Meeting, which fee is compulsory for all Members and must be paid within 60 days of joining the Association or by December 31, of each year as the case may be.Strike this article
Rationale: Maintaining a universal membership fee is inconsistent with our new system of multiple membership classes.

Article 6.00 - Renewal and Termination

Current BylawProposed Changes
The membership of each Member of the Association shall be automatically renewed from year to year unless and until:
a - The Member notifies the Secretary or the Board in writing before the end of the year that he or she is terminating his or her membership;
b - The Member has not within 60 days of its becoming due, paid an annual membership contribution for that year;
c - The membership of the Member has been terminated by notice of a resolution to that effect passed by the Board of Directors for any act or conduct which the Directors in their absolute discretion, deem to be detrimental to the best interests of the Association.		Rename to: “Termination”
Reword: All individuals satisfying one of the requirements set forth in Article III shall be considered a Member of the Association, unless:
a- The Member notifies the Secretary or the Board in writing before the end of the year that he or she is terminating his or her membership;
b- Their membership has been terminated by notice of a resolution to that effect passed by the Board of Directors for any act or conduct which the Directors in their absolute discretion, deem to be detrimental to the best interests of the Association;
Rationale:
Membership is now defined according to time-sensitive conditions. Any further bylaw around renewal would be redundant.

Article 8.02 - Meetings

Current BylawProposed Changes
Every Annual General Meeting shall be called by a written notice mailed or otherwise delivered at least twenty-eight (28) days in advance to each Member at the address inscribed for him or her on the membership list, or at least five (5) days in advance for Special General Meetings; however, meetings of Members, both Annual and Special, may be held without previous notice if all of the Members be present or if all of the Members sign a written waiver of notice of the time, place, and purpose of such meeting.Strike: “written notice mailed or otherwise delivered at least twenty-eight (28) days in advance to each Member at the address inscribed for him or her on the membership list”
Replace with: “public notice posted at least twenty-eight (28) days in advance”
Rationale:
Sending personal mail to all members will become unfeasible in terms of time and cost as we dramatically expand our membership. Other channels – such as posters, flyers, our website, social media, and e-newsletters – should be enough to reach everyone.

Article 9.08 - Composition of the Board of Directors

Current BylawProposed Changes
When a Director resigns or is removed, the remainder of the Board may elect from the Members a person to fill the vacancy until the expiration of the term.Add: “A call for applications must be publicly posted at least twenty-eight (28) days in advance of such an election.”
Rationale:
Require a broad call-out for interim Board elections, to make the process more transparent and democratic.