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Join our Board!

by Head & Hands on

Become a member of our 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. Applications are due April 29th 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:

  • 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)

Interested? Find out how to apply here!!

To support us in carrying out our mission, we feel it’s important for the Head & Hands Board to be strong and diverse in terms of skills, connections to programming, and connections to client communities.  Having analyzed the balance of these qualities on our current Board, and asked ourselves which missing qualities would be most valuable to us, we have produced the following diagrams to share our perspective with the broader membership.

To support us in carrying out our mission, we feel it’s important for the Head & Hands Board to be strong and diverse in terms of skills, connections to programming, and connections to client communities. Having analyzed the balance of these qualities on our current Board, and asked ourselves which missing qualities would be most valuable to us, we have produced these diagrams to share our perspective with the broader membership.

Volunteers, You’re Invited!

by Head & Hands on
Volunteers eat, drink, and hang while watching the slide show at last year's VAP.

Volunteers eat, drink, and hang while watching the slide show at last year’s VAP.

At Head & Hands, we rely on volunteers to do what we do. Volunteers coach basketball at J2K, tutor students at the main offices, provide childcare at the Young Parents Program, work at the front desk, help plan and pull off Faggity Ass Fridays every month, translate blog posts like this one, keep score at SERVE, file financial records, and serve on our Board of Directors. WHEW, that’s a lot! Last year, 308 volunteers gave more than 9000 hours of their time to Head & Hands, and we think y’all deserve a huge thank you in the form of a party! An awesome party!

If you’ve volunteered with us in the past year, you’re invited to our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party, where we will celebrate you with food, drinks, and amazing raffle prizes! This year will also feature a photo booth and karaoke for all of our entertainment. This evening of awesome will take place on March 15th from 7:00 – 10:00 pm! To find out where, please RSVP to the program coordinator with whom you volunteered by March 10th.

Accessibility information: wheelchair accessible with automatic door and elevator. There is a wheelchair accessible, single-stall bathroom on the same floor as the event. Please let us know if you require childcare or have any other accessibility requests by emailing Juniper at membres@headandhands.ca by March 10th!

New Volunteers on the Front Desk!

by Head & Hands on

Intern Émilie and volunteer ZaZa reorganize our zine library. Check it out next time you’re in!

We are so excited to welcome six awesome new front desk volunteers to Head & Hands! This group completed a thirty-hour training in February, where they learned about our approach and protocols through workshops and roleplays, and got to know most members of the H&H team. Huge thanks to intern Émilie, whose (often hilarious) contributions to the coordination and facilitation of this training were invaluable.

Volunteers will take on regular shifts each month, during which they’ll help keep our pamphlets stocked, our resources up-to-date, and our offices comfortable and welcoming for clients, while providing information, referrals, and support to those who call or walk through our doors. Their volunteer shifts also provide time off the front desk for our Info & Referral Coordinators, so they can carry out collective duties like committee work and peer-to-peer supervision, and create space for program visioning and coordination. This is the second year we’ve offered this volunteer opportunity, and we’re so excited to see what unfolds with this group over the next year!

Volunteer Opportunity: Front Desk

by Head & Hands on

We are looking for committed, open-minded and enthusiastic volunteers whose actions, mindset, and temperament parallel the non-judgmental, anti-oppressive, and empowering fundamentals of Head & Hands.

These volunteers will replace at the front desk (approximately one to three shifts per month), which involves directing clients to the appropriate Head & Hands service, providing referrals and information about other Montréal organizations, and acting as first responder to clients in need of support.

Training will include a variety of workshops aimed at introducing you to Head & Hands’ diverse clientele and different approaches to meet their needs.

Ideal applicants will meet the following criteria:

  • Age 17 years or older
  • Able to commit to 12 months of volunteering
  • Able to commit to 5 to 20 hours a month of volunteering
  • Monday-Friday daytime or evening availability
  • Fluency in English and spoken French
  • Available for training sessions at the following dates in 2013:
Monday 21 January, 6:00 - 9:00 pmWednesday 23 January, 6:00 - 9:00 pmSaturday 26 January, 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Monday 28 January, 6:00 - 9:00 pmWednesday 30 January, 6:00 - 9:00 pmSaturday 2 February, 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Monday 4 February, 6:00 - 9:00 pmWednesday 6 February, 6:00 - 9:00 pmSaturday 9 February, 12:00 - 4:00 pm

If you meet the above criteria and are interested in being part of our team, please complete the volunteer application form and send to Hannah at info@headandhands.ca by 5 December 2012.

If you have any questions please feel free to email, or call at (514) 481-0277!

Ça Marche 2012: The Movie

by Head & Hands on

In classic Head & Hands fashion, we present our annual Ça Marche dance video for your viewing pleasure!

If you helped us reach our Ça Marche goal this year by giving your time, money, or your moves…well, this one’s for you!

Special thanks to Carol Fernandes and Jess Lee, the super-star volunteers who filmed and edited and made this video as glorious as it is! And to our dancers…we couldn’t do it without you!

Welcome (back) Sensies!

by Head & Hands on

Class photo, 2012-2013 animators / Photo de classe, animateurs-trices de l’année 2012-2013

We are so excited to have 18 new and returning Sense animators! Sensies are the bedrock of our peer-to-peer sex education program. After 30 hours of training in fall, they spend the academic year pairing up and going into high schools across Montreal to give holistic, non-judgemental, and youth-centred workshops on safer sex.

This was Health Educator Gabrielle’s first time running training since being hired in May, and it was her co-coordinator Robin’s first time, too! Embracing the spirit of newness and change, they took this opportunity to revisit the training manual and workshop offerings. Traditionally three workshops, the standard Sense series is expanding to include a fourth workshop, which will be piloted in some schools in the next couple months!

Animators this year also delved deep into the Head & Hands approach, discussing and reflecting on sexuality from many different perspectives, thanks to the many external facilitators to contributed to training. Some things never change, though: as always, one favorite part of training was the food! Delicious eats were contributed by a number of Montreal locals, including Cafe Touski, Burritoville, Upstairs Jazz Bar, Nouveau Palais, The People’s Potato, and Midnight Kitchen.

As always, we invite YOUR school or community group to get in touch about booking workshops! We can do them in English or in French, and can provide harm reductive, non-judgemental drug education workshops in addition to our sex ed offerings. If we don’t already have a workshop or presentation that fits the bill, we can often create one that meets your health or sexuality needs! Just email Gabrielle at healthed@headandhands.ca.

Dancing to glory! 2012 Ça Marche campaign raises more than ever!

by Head & Hands on

Groups of passionate people can achieve great things, so when we called on our community to help us raise $15 000 for our youth health services and sex education program as part of Ça Marche this year, we felt like we would give it our best shot.

But when all was said and done this Sunday, we were floored by the amazingness of our community. The results of this year’s Ça Marche campaign were astounding:

  • More than $20,300 raised for our youth health services and peer-based health education project
  • 46 people fundraised on behalf of Head & Hands
  • 368 community members donated to our cause
  • And one amazing troupe danced 7km in fierce glory to celebrate the joys of HIV care, prevention, and education with youth!

This year, more than ever, Ça Marche reminded us that we are nestled in a supportive and strong community that will ensure that Montreal youth have access to the health care and information that they need. We are especially grateful to our top fundraiser Ren who raised over $1,500; to Gregory, a new Sense animator who brought in a whopping 26 donors; and Tanya, who dressed in a cat suit to inspire her community to give. These star fundraisers will be rewarded with the Diner’s Delight top prize, cheffed by our haute-cuisine inspired fundraising team.

Big ups to all of our fundraisers, our dancers, walkers and banner carriers, choreographer Claire Lyke of Studio des Bêtes Dansantes, DJs Tamika and Nino Brown, photographer Chase Moser, videographers Carol Fernandes and Jess Lee, and of course to the Farha Foundation, who continues to lead the fight against HIV and AIDs in Quebec.

We can’t wait ‘til next year!

A Fantasy Come to Life, with Ça Marche choreographer Claire Lyke

by Head & Hands on

Prepare your glittery glam sparkles and your divine dancing shoes, ‘cause this Sunday Head & Hands is shimmyin’ and shakin’ all over downtown Montreal as part of Ça Marche, the Farha Foundation’s HIV/AIDS walk! We caught up with Claire Lyke, Ça Marche choreographer for the second year in a row to find out what to kind of moves to expect, and she responded with this little video.

Yes, in short, you can expect a lot of sass and glam this Sunday. And for Claire, each dancer will bring their own flair: “Just like you can walk [in Ça Marche] for a thousand reasons, you can dance for a thousand reasons. For me, when we are out there dancing it is about choosing to live our sex lives with pizzazz—bunches of it!”

This isn’t the first time monthly donor Claire has filled the role of Ça Marche choreographer, so we asked why! Why would she wake up early on a Sunday, rain or shine, to holler herself hoarse for hours to a bunch of spandex-clad youth-health service supporters? “As a queer identified person, I desperately wish I’d had Sense Project animators come give workshops in my high school. Sex-positive workshops on consent, STIs, conception, gender orientation and more? Yes please! Helping to make this happen by leading a pack of dreamy dancers through the street is like a fantasy come to life.”

Well Claire, Ça Marche is like a fantasy come to life for us too! With DJ Tamika (Cousins, Faggity Ass Fridays) on the battery-powered decks and lots of glitter to go around thanks to Salon Identité co owner and Head & Hands boardie Dave Landry, we hope you’ll join us, and bring your groove along, too.

Claire Lyke’s dance studio, Studio des Bêtes Dansantes is famous for it’s amazingly fun “Queer Dance Classes for Everyone”.

September is Ça Marche month on the blog! Let’s come together for the Farha Foundation’s walk on September 30th, and raise money for our HIV prevention, education, and support services for youth. Join our team, make a donation, get involved!

Getting Crafty at NDG Arts Week

by FRDC on

Guest post by the fabulous Robyn Fadden, member of the Head & Hands Board of Directors

The neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grace is as creative as it is cozy – and the upcoming NDG Arts week, August 18-26, proves the case. Along with artists of all stripes, photographer, crafter and organizer extraordinaire Melinda Carrière contributes to the arty happening with a second edition of the wittily named All the Rage Craft Fair, on August 19.

With an expanded fair this year – Montreal artisans and designers will be selling everything from hand-made jewelry and beauty products to children’s clothes and vintage items – located at a new venue, Le Manoir (5319 Notre-Dame-de-Grace), a big turnout is expected. The proceeds from table rentals at this summer’s craft fair will all go to Head & Hands, as they did from last year’s holiday craft fair, also organized by Melinda.

Presence in the neighbourhood was one reason Head & Hands stood out as the obvious choice, but personal experience was also a factor: “I’ve had friends who had volunteered or worked there previously. One of them said to me that he realized how much of an impact he made as a volunteer there – kids would come up to him on the street and say hi and tell him how awesome he was for them.”

Before heading into a BFA in Photography, Melinda had thoughts about becoming a teacher – she aligns that interest in education and youth with her appreciation for Head & Hands: “The fact that there’s an organization like this available to young people is amazing. I come from a small town and there just aren’t programs like that around. The Sense Project as well – that wasn’t done years ago, and it’s so necessary. I just want to support that.”

Melinda was supported in organizing this year’s fair by friend, fellow crafter and NDG-dweller Jessie Evans, who co-curated the fair via submissions from crafters in NDG and other Montreal neighbourhoods. “Ideally we want to bring NDG crafters to the forefront,” says Jessie. “Once you start networking with other crafters, you realize how some of the bigger craft fairs are quite hard to get into,” adds Melinda, “especially for newer crafters and those outside the Plateau and Mile End – there was still an opportunity for another craft fair of a different sort.”

All the Rage is a far cry from shopping at the mall. “A lot of the crafters we have also do up-cycled and recycled work and clothing, making new things out of discarded but perfectly workable objects,” says Melinda. “It’s a positive trend right now, a part of being a conscious consumer.”

In another nod to NDG’s family-friendly atmosphere, events and workshops for kids and teens will be going on at the same time as the craft fair in different rooms at Le Manoir, so parents can peruse the tables while their kids are otherwise occupied.

All the Rage Craft Fair, Sunday, August 19, 12-5 p.m. At Le Manoir (5319 Notre-Dame-de-Grace), up the hill from Girouard Park.

Melinda makes feathered creations as Mielcoeur (http://www.wix.com/melindacarriere/mielcoeur)

Jessie’s vintage clothing and button jewelry can be found at Crime Is Beauty (http://www.etsy.com/shop/crimeisbeauty)

Legal Workshop on Bill 78

by Head & Hands on

What is Bill 78? Are all public gatherings illegal? How do you contest a ticket? You can find the answers to all these questions and more at the workshop we’re offering on August 6th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm! Come join Andrée Bourbeau, member of the CLASSE legal committee and UQAM law student, who will discuss the impact of Bill 78 and give an update on the tribunal proceedings contesting this law. This will be followed by a presentation on how to contest a ticket from Daniel Barza, a lawyer who volunteers his expertise in criminal and civil law at our legal clinic. If you have questions or concerns about this important issue, we invite you to come out and participate in this night of information sharing, at our offices at 5833 Sherbrooke St. West!

Let’s set the record straight before back-to-school this fall!