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Moving Forward – Together

by Director on

Dear community,

The official announcement has just been made – unfortunately, we did not win one of the grand prizes in Aviva’s online competition. However, we did win $5,000, and you can rest assured that we will use it to bring Street Workers back to NDG as soon as possible!!

Although we are sad to hear the news, overall participating in the Aviva competition has been a rewarding experience. In just a few weeks, we managed to gain 4877 supporters and over 11,000 votes from people and organizations who believe, as we do, that NDG’s at-risk youth deserve to be supported. We are extremely grateful to be part of a community that is so fiercely dedicated to youth health, and who supports our work with such strength and love.

WHAT ARE WE DOING NEXT?

We are working hard to carry the momentum created by all of you far beyond this competition.  We have received letters of endorsement from multiple community organisations who supported us during the competition and can’t wait to work side by side with our street workers again.  We’re excited to share these letters alongside our funding applications that are already in progress for a range of promising government and foundation grants.  We are happy to announce that we recently secured our first successful “save street work” grant of $15,000 from the Silver Dollar Foundation, which means that a quarter of the first year’s budget is already covered!

Although we’re doing the best we can, grant-based funding alone might not be enough to bring this program back as quickly as it is needed.

Head & Hands has always believed that social services are strongest when they are offered for the community, by the community.  If you are able to contribute any amount towards restoring this essential service to NDG, please click the link below!  Write “save street work” as an instruction with your donation, and we will designate your gift specifically for the return of this program. If you prefer to give “offline”, please check out other giving options on our website. 

 

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Another great way to contribute is by organizing a fundraising event!  If you have time and energy to help us in this way, please get in touch so we can share some tips and guidelines: funds@headandhands.ca

Again, thank you so much for the amazing support you’ve already shown us.  Together, we will put street workers back in this neighbourhood and ensure that our community’s most vulnerable youth get the support they need!

Why I’m voting for Street Work: Ralph

by Director on

“I’m voting for Street Work because it helps me connect to the youth on the street and understand their needs, to be able to provide adequate support.” Ralph, Head & Hands Legal Coordinator

Vote for us every day between December 3 and 12 to help us win $87K and bring back Street Work!

Why I’m voting for Street Work: Jon

by Director on

“In many ways, street work is the essence of why Head & Hands exists – we *need* this program to support the youth in our community who get the least help from others.” Jon, Head & Hands Director

Vote for us every day between December 3 and 12 to help us win $87K and bring back Street Work!

Why I’m voting for Street Work: June

by Director on

“I’m voting for Street Work because I think every youth should be valued and supported, no matter what challenges they face.” Juniper, Head & Hands Fundraising and Development Coordinator

Vote for us every day between December 3 and 12 to help us win $87K and bring back Street Work!

Ça Marche

by Head & Hands on

Photo: Neal Rockwell

On September 30th, Head & Hands supporters, staff, and board, will take to the streets as part of Ça Marche, the Farha Foundation’s annual HIV/AIDS walk.

And as you may have heard… we don’t walk the walk…we DANCE IT!!!

Join us as we shake our groove thang to raise $15,000 for our work around HIV testing, education, and support: our three weekly medical clinics and the Sense Project peer-based sex-ed program. Last year Head & Hands services were accessed over 22, 000 times by Montreal youth, and this year we want to make sure we can do even more!

Love Head & Hands? Want to get involved?

  • Join our team, collect pledges and walk with us on September 30th! Sign up online!
  • Donate by making a gift through the Farha Foundation’s secure website, or at Head & Hands (5833 Sherbrooke O). All gifts above $20 will receive a charitable tax receipt.

For more info, please check out our Facebook event or contact Fundraising and Development Coordinator Juniper at 514-481-0277 or membres@headandhands.ca.

Volunteer Call-Out: SERVE 2012

by Head & Hands on

SERVE 2012 is around the corner and we are getting ready to bump, set, and spike for the 7th year in a row! This year’s annual SERVE Volleyball tournament is gearing up to support Sex Ed and raise awareness to support the Sense Project, our peer-based sex education project. For more info about this cutting edge, harm-reductive and queer/sex/trans-positive sex ed program, check out Sense’s page.

The SERVE tournament is an exciting, fun, and sexy event that engages the vibrant bar and restaurant community in a fresh approach to fundraising and provides us with a unique opportunity to share our holistic vision of youth empowerment and wellness with Montrealers at large.

The tournament will be held on Sunday, July 29th 2012 at Jeanne-Mance Park. We are currently looking for approximately 60 volunteers to help make SERVE 2012 a success! We need volunteers for a huge variety of roles so if you are interested please contact Shanice ASAP at intern.headandhands@gmail.com or at 514-481-0277 to sign up! You will all have a chance to hit up the BBQ, grab a beer or two and ride our Slip ‘n’ Slide. Most importantly, you will help us reach our ultimate goal of $35,000 for the Sense Project! For more information about SERVE 2012, visit us on Facebook!

Seeking Board Members!

by Head & Hands on

Become a member of the Head & Hands Board of Directors!
Support our organization and community!

The Opportunity:

Head & Hands is currently looking for motivated, passionate people to run for election to our Board of Directors. We currently have 4 vacant seats to fill.

Applications are due May 9th at 6pm.

Who we are looking for:

We encourage all applications to our Board, and seek to create a balanced group to reflect the skills and priorities of our community. Head & Hands welcomes the unique contributions that youth (25 and under) and individuals from marginalized and oppressed communities bring to our organization, and invites these individuals to apply. We encourage applicants to describe the unique contributions they, as individuals with diverse experiences, would bring to Head & Hands in their cover letter.

Requirements:

  • Be a member of Head & Hands and be endorsed by two Head & Hands members. (Anyone who has made a financial gift to Head & Hands within the year. since June 2011, is a member).
  • Commitment to social justice and to our mission
  • Willingness to participate in fundraising activities in a collaborative context
  • Desire to work with a diversity of people on common goals
  • Available for monthly evening Board meetings and ongoing committee work (total time commitment is approximately 8-10 hrs / month)

Assets:

  • Interest in local and current youth issues
  • Knowledge of various aspects of community work
  • Knowledge of harm reduction, anti-oppression, and collective functioning
  • Expertise in areas relevant to our services (medical, legal, social, education)
  • Contacts in the community, media, private and public sectors
  • Willingness to be a spokesperson for Head & Hands
  • Professional experience with human resources and/or financial management

We are particularly interested in recruiting board members with experience in one or several of the following areas:

  • Financial management
  • Fundraising, event planning, communications
  • Human resources, labour & compensation
  • Strategic planning & collaborative governance
  • Policy work in the non-profit sector
  • Legal issues (especially commercial law)

Interested? Find out how to apply here!

Why I Commit: Because H&H Supports Our Future Leaders!

by Head & Hands on

Monthly Donor Kurt / Donateur mensuel Kurt

Oh how we love the Coop La Maison Verte, the socially and environmentally conscious cooperative business a block over on Sherbrooke Street West!! Over the years, monthly donor Kurt Houghton and the rest of the Coop team have generously supported Head & Hands, offering discounts, gift certificates, and stepping in when the going gets tough. Last fall, upon hearing that we’d lost funds for our Emergency Food Pantry, the team and members at the CLMV stepped in, designating a percentage of their coffee sales to help bring back this vital service. Thanks to monthlies like Kurt, we know the power of solidarity-based fundraising models. Together we are strong!

Name: Kurt Houghton
Monthly since: April 2011
Day job: Store Coordinator of Coop La Maison Verte
How I first fell in love with Head & Hands: When I first started working at the Coop, we didn’t have a microwave and I was told I could go down the block and use H&H’s. We’ve since gotten a microwave, but eating my lunch with H&H was a great intro to the neighbourhood.
As a teenager I was passionate about: Video-games, but thankfully I’ve moved on to more interesting pursuits.
On a lazy afternoon I: sit around playing with my son and his (our) Lego
Song I have stuck in my head right now: “Money I$ King” by Lee Fields & the Expressions
Fave MTL restaurant: There are too many to choose just one so it depends on the kind of food you’re in the mood for. In no particular order: Burritoville, Edouardo’s, Zero8, Jean’s, Bonaparte, La Banquise, 5 Saisons, Maison India, and the list goes on and on.
Midnight snack: Can’t always be too picky at that hour, but something salty (chips, popcorn, etc) is my preference
Current activism, community involvement, other projects: I’ve been really busy with school these days, but prior to that I was involved in community economic development as a board member of the CDN-NDG CDEC. It’s the kind of work I’d like to do more of in the future.
First thing I do when I get home is: Sadly, these days its laundry or dishes or something like that, but ideally it’d be put on my slippers and play with my family.
Can’t live without: Karina (Editor”s note: awwww)
One wish: That there were more hours in the day
Fave book, zine, magazine, blog to read: Protégez-vous, The Dominion, The Onion, and the amazing variety of articles, blogs, etc. through my social network friends
Why I commit to Head & Hands: Despite the fact that everyone was once young, it’s surprising how little our society listens to and respects their future workers & leaders. Thank you to H&H for making this a priority.

Why I Commit: Because H&H Respects the Teens I Hang With!

by Head & Hands on

Monthly donor / donatrice mensuelle Tara

Like many of our supporters, Tara got involved with Head & Hands through our monthly queer dance party, Faggity Ass Fridays, because it was a “good way to meet babes.” This year the former FAF door volunteer continued to invest in the Sense Project, training our Sense Animators in working with adolescents with learning disabilities. Here, Tara gives the inside scoop on what Head & Hands means to MTL teens, as well as that little guy she can’t live without. Meow!

Name: Tara
Monthly since: March 2011
Day job: Professional role model. Private tutor.
Other than being a monthly, how do you or how have you connected with Head & Hands: Ancient FAF door volunteer
As a teenager I was passionate about: Julia Roberts
Song I have stuck in my head right now: Damian Marley’s “Affairs of the Heart”
My momma always said: “You can order anything you want, as long as you finish it.”
Fave MTL restaurant: Les Sandwichs Volant, keeping me alive since 2008.
First thing I do when I get home is: Drape my cat around my neck like a fur stole and turn on the comedy network.
Standby or favourite dance move: Fist pump
Celebrity crush (dead or alive): Marisa Tomei: yesterday, today, tomorrow.
St. Viateur, Dads, or Fairmount, and why? Fairmount. No need to justify this correct answer.
Can’t live without: My cat, until he dies, and then I’ll have him stuffed.
One wish: Eternal health.
Free trip, where do you go? Right now I’m planning a trip to Portland, Jamaica, so I’ve got that on the brain. Otherwise probably Calabria.
Why I commit to Head & Hands: I commit to Head & Hands because I hang with teens on a full time basis. Some make use of the youth health services, a fair number have attended Sense workshops, one carries the drug guide around in his backpack. They may not be familiar with the Head & Hands mission statement, but they know that this organization respects their rights and their needs. I commit to Head & Hands for them.

Why I Commit: Because I Believe in Youth Empowerment!

by Head & Hands on

Monthly Donor / Donatrice mensuelle Jax

I caught up with long-time monthly supporter Jax in the hallowed halls of the McGill School of Nursing where she currently studies. In the gentle afternoon light, we had the pleasure of catching up on three of my fave topics: cardigans, femme-dom, and youth empowerment! Below, Jax talks high school passions, the end of capitalism, veggie pulled pork, and CIARA!

Name: Jax
Monthly since: 2009
Day job: Nursing student
Languages spoken: English, sort of French, barely Arabic
As a teenager I was passionate about: Robert Smith (The Cure) and being a goth
Fave MTL restaurant: I don’t know if I have a favourite place all together, but I’m really into the veggie pulled pork at Le Pick Up.
Midnight snack: my leftover veggie pulled pork
Passions: deep lez, fiber arts, plants, K.D. Lang
Celebrity crush (dead or alive): CIARA!
Can’t live without: social contact and alone time!
On a lazy afternoon I: sit in bed and watch old episodes of Roseanne
One wish: A real simple one – the end of capitalism.
Free trip, where do you go? Egypt and Greece (where my mom and dad are from. I’ve been meaning to go for years).
Fave book, zine, magazine, blog to read: amanaday.tumblr.com
Why I commit to Head & Hands: because I really believe in the importance of empowering youth!