Volunteering at Project Genesis
Project Genesis volunteers work together to promote equality and social justice and to encourage neighbourhood residents' involvement in working for positive change to improve living conditions.
In the Storefront
Volunteer advisor Audrey Speck at our Individual Services Centre.
Volunteer advisor Judy Bird.
Receptionists — Volunteer receptionists are the first people service users meet when they come to Project Genesis. Receptionists welcome people, assess whether we can respond to the request, and provide countless invaluable referrals both in person and over the phone. Receptionist shifts are four hours a week and an intermediate level of bilingualism is required.
Advisors — Our Storefront volunteer advisors are our grassroots individual advocacy front-runners! During their four-hour weekly shift, they meet with service users to provide information, referrals and individual advocacy services on topics ranging from housing to welfare, pensions to immigration. They inform people of their rights and help them to further acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be able to defend those rights. Training for this position is provided. A minimum six-month commitment is required. All of our Storefront advisors are fluently bilingual in French and English. Storefront advisors are good listeners and have a passion for social justice!
Translators — Côte-des-Neiges is a diverse neighbourhood and many of the people who come to Project Genesis are allophones. We have a list of on-call interpreters who either come in to Project Genesis or speak over the phone to facilitate communication between advisors and service users. We need volunteers to help with written translations, too!
With Our Community Organizing
Volunteers Carl Cordova, Louise MacDonald and Bernadette Duval
Committees
Our community organizing committees are made up of volunteers from all different backgrounds. With the support of a community organizer, committees meet once a month to work for a better society on a collective level. Their activities can range from writing popular education documents to facilitating public assemblies and workshops. Descriptions of each committee's focus are available on our homepage.
The two committees presently active at Project Genesis are the Housing Rights Committee and the Anti-Poverty Committee.
As a volunteer on a community organising committee, you are able to find an area of involvement that fits your specific interests. That might involve research, event organising or workshop development . . . it's just a question of sitting down with a community organiser to figure out how best to fit into our current work for social change.
Outreach team
Every Thursday afternoon, a group of volunteers goes out into the neighbourhood to offer information to people about their social rights, in particular related to housing. This is most often done through door-knocking, reaching people who may often be isolated .
The outreach done also helps to inform people about available services and programs, including those of Projet Genesis, that can help them in addressing specific difficulties concerning their rights.
Outreach team volunteers receive a base of training, plus a short training session each week on the week's theme before then taking to the streets.
If you're interested in any of these volunteer positions, for more information please call 514-738-2036, extension 401, and please leave a message for us.
