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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: Gina

by Director on

“Street work has been a crucial part of Head & Hands since its inception in 1970. Since then, street workers have played a variety of roles in our community: conducting outreach and making youth aware of our services, running prevention and education programs, and extending the reach of essential services beyond our doors to reach youth in greatest need. Researching this history has made me realize how vital this program is for NDG youth; it is essential that we bring back this service to our neighborhood! “ – Gina Metallic, Master of Social Work Student Intern

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!

Why I’m voting for Street Work: Vaughn

by Director on

‎“Street Work clients deserve to have someone’s undivided attention as they articulate what options work best for them.” Vaughn, Head & Hands Front desk 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: Neil

by Director on

“Our Street Workers are our eyes and ears on the street that outreach to the people, to be one with the people. We are not getting a certain influx of the youth that might cross the path of Street Workers. We want them back.” Neil, J2K Coordinator, our teen drop-in centre in NDG.

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

Head & Hands in an online race to save Street Work Program

by Director on

December 4, 2012

Press Release for Immediate Distribution

Many young people have fallen through the cracks in Montreal, ending up overlooked and on the streets – it’s a public health issue that youth-focused community organization Head & Hands has witnessed first-hand through its unique Street Work Program. Funding for the essential program was cut last year, but Head & Hands has never given up on Street Work and the youth it supports. Throughout the next week, the organization is in tight competition for $87,000 in funding from the Aviva Community Fund – all they need is to get the word out so as many people as possible can vote online every day for the Street Work Program.

After getting almost 4300 votes from 1410 supporters in two weeks, Head & Hands has moved on to the semi-finals. The voting round is fast and furious – it ends on 12 Dec, so there’s no time to waste – thankfully, voting is easy and fast!

Forty years ago, Head & Hands began with a small Street Work program and over the years has expanded to offer numerous other health, legal and social services to youth in NDG and across the city. At the heart of the Street Work Program are youth at risk, from all walks of life, struggling to meet basic needs like housing, income stability, food security and health care. The usual support systems don’t work, but Street Work does. Street Workers connect with youth where they are – in the community, on the streets – to really support them in making healthier choices. They also provide essential HIV and Hep C prevention with clean needles and condoms, as well as safer-drug use and safer-sex education. Aviva funding will help get the program running again almost immediately, also allowing Head & Hands to build relationships with more funders, such as government agencies, private foundations and individual donors.

Since helping youth stand up for and speak for themselves is a huge part of what Head & Hands strives for, what better way to do that than with a video made for the Aviva campaign: in it, two former Head & Hands Street Work clients talk about their experiences, while Montreal Street Workers and Head & Hands staff address what new funding for the program will provide. Watch the video at https://vimeo.com/53334659. For more information and to vote, check out Head & Hands Street Work campaign competition page at http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16385.

Contact: Cynthia Beaudry, Save Street Work Campaign Coordinator, streetwork@headandhands.ca , 514-481-0277

Click here for a PDF version of this press release. 

Saying Thanks After 28 Years!

by Head & Hands on

“28 years ago in the Head & Hands waiting room, I found out I was about to be a young mom. At the time I didn’t have any money for the $5 pregnancy test, and the nurse kindly told me to bring the money whenever I could.

As my firstborn grew, he showed brilliance and independence, but developed some self-destructive habits. As a teen he became chemically dependant and I needed outside support. When he became too old for Youth Protection and his habits were more than the family could endure, I was faced with the decision to ask him to leave home.

Through one social worker or another, he was introduced to Head & Hands. He spoke of people who helped him with various issues he faced, how they gave help but also treated him with dignity and respect, no matter how frazzled or desperate he was.

My son is now clean, and working as a chef. I am a single mother, working toward a career in Human Relations. Now it is time to give back, open my wallet and pay the $5 I have owed since 1984!”

Dana, NDG mother

Vote for us and bring Street Work back to NDG!

by Director on

TO VOTE NOW: http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16385

Vote for Head & Hands and bring Street Work back to NDG! from Neal Rockwell on Vimeo.

Between December 3-12, vote for us once a day in the Aviva Community Fund’s online competition and we could win $87,000 to bring two Street Work back to NDG!

25% of NDG’s population is living below the poverty line, and many of its youth are falling through the social net and struggling to meet basic needs. Until government budget cuts stopped the program in August 2011, Head & Hands Street Workers went out into the community to connect with youth, provide a listening ear, and support them in identifying their own needs and taking steps towards filling them.

Our Street Workers supported youth with the basics like finding emergency food and shelter, accompanying someone to an abortion, getting tested for STIs, and other urgent needs.  They also worked with youth to find long-term solutions like finding an apartment, getting into pre-employability programs, leaving abusive relationships, finding support with addiction, etc. – always at youth’s own pace and on their own terms.

Street Workers reached youth who might otherwise never have walked through the doors of Head & Hands or of other service organizations. They also did HIV and Hep C prevention by distributing clean needles, crack pipes and condoms to youth, and talking about safer drug use and safer sex. The loss of Street Work left NDG without any clean drug gear distribution program, and hundreds of young users without easy access to clean materials and support.

Vote every day!  Tell your friends!  Bring back this essential service!!

How to vote:

  1. Register on the Aviva Community Fund’s website (you can connect via email or Facebook, it takes just a few seconds.)
  2. Go to our Aviva page and VOTE FOR US!!!
  3. Vote for us everyday between December 3 and 12!!!
  4. If you’d like us to send you daily email reminders about the competition (it’s so easy to forget!), email: streetwork@headandhands.ca .

Resources to help us win votes:

Resources are available in French here.

Our main strategy:

  • Get in touch with “boosters,” – aka people you know who could reach out to a big audience such as local celebs, Facebook and Twitter personalities, etc. – and ask them to promote our campaign!

Other ideas on how to help us win daily votes:

  • Send an email to your networks and encourage people to vote DAILY! Use this email template!
  • Are you a student or a teacher? Make an announcement in your class, set up a voting booth on your campus, and/or get permission to put up posters and flyers in your school’s computer lab!
  • Make an announcement in a staff meeting and get your coworkers to vote for us daily!
  • Do you have any relevant media contacts? Send them this press release!
  • Will you be attending or organizing a related event next week? Hand out flyers, make an announcement for Head & Hands and/or set up a voting booth!

Hot social media tips:

  • Send a chat message to your online Facebook friends who have more than 1000 friends and ask them to promote our campaign!
  • Use this image as your profile picture.
  • Like and comment on every Facebook post you see about our campaign! Complement any incomplete post with the missing information, e.g. the link to vote, let people know they can email streetwork@headandhands.ca for daily email reminders, etc.
  • Invite your friends to this Facebook event. If you want to invite all your friends at once, let us know – we have a little trick for you!
  • Share our “Why I’m voting for Street Work” daily photo-testimonials.
  • Use these hash tags when tweeting about us: #cdnndg #rockaviva
  • Got any social-media-savvy-friends? Pick their brains and share their secrets with us!

Hot messaging tips:

  • Stay positive (e.g. We’re so close! Competition is tight but we can do it!)
  • Share updates on where we are in the competition (e.g. We’re only blank# votes away from the top 10!)
  • Share our strategy with the world (e.g. Know anyone who has a big network? Ask them to promote Head & Hands’ online campaign to save Street Work in NDG!)

Much love,
The Head & Hands team.