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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) JR Rainville Centre (Drop In) Internship Education and Prevention Internships Do I need to speak French to do an internship with ACCM? How do I get to ACCM’s main offices? What is the ACCM screening process?
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Just what is ACCM, anyway? ACCM is the only English-language AIDS service organisation in Quebec. We’ve been around for more than 20 years (since 1987), and we’ve grown a lot, and changed a lot, over that time. For more on our history, please take a look at our History Page on the website. There are a number of different ares in which you can do your internship: JR Rainville Centre (Drop In) Internship Interning at the JR Rainville Centre provides students with the opportunity to better understand the reality of people living with HIV/AIDS. The JR Rainville Centre is a safe space open only to clients, volunteers and staff where people living with HIV/AIDS can access information, find support and connect with other people who might have had similar experiences in a non-judgmental environment. Interns are responsible for welcoming members/visitors to the Centre in person and by phone, light group animation, active listening, promotion of ACCM events, referrals to ACCM services for members, maintenance of the physical space and atmosphere, and assisting staff and other volunteers in the everyday workings of the Centre. Interns will be requested to develop a special project during their internship, based on their interests and abilities and the current needs of the members. Some examples include planning and facilitating a discussion or series of discussions, updating a resource manual, or planning a meal. The office is a busy and exciting place to be –
the volunteer department and EP work from there, the Treatment Information
Coordinator, as well the Executive Director. Doing an internship
in the office is a great way to learn how ACCM works and become
familiar with the different resources available in the community.
Interns will also be involved in supporting the volunteer department, which includes advertising volunteer opportunities through various media, assisting with workshop preparation and volunteer file maintenance. Interns will be expected to come in at a regular time each week for administrative tasks and will have some flexibility in the schedule for events outside regular work hours. We are looking for organized, independent workers who are comfortable with computers and enjoy a mix of working independently and on a team. Fundraising is an essential part of any non-for-profit organization. An internship in fundraising is an excellent opportunity to learn about how community organizations find financial support for their programs and services. Interns will be responsible for researching and soliciting donations for events and draws from sources as varied as small businesses through to corporations. This will include Internet research, visiting stores, adapting letters of solicitation, researching and coordinating third party fundraising events, composing and sending thank you letters and tax receipts, and data entry. Interns will be expected to come in at a regular time each week (with flexibility for tasks outside of the office). We are looking for outgoing, chatty, persistent, and independent individuals, preferably with experience in sales and/or customer service. ACCM holds various events throughout the year including World AIDS Day activities on the 1st of December, Holiday Party in December, and the Volunteer Appreciation Party in April. Interns will be involved in planning events, soliciting donations and sponsorship, finding appropriate locations and advertising, promoting the events, helping with set up and decorating, and general organizing. The intern will be expected to come in at a regular time each week (with some flexibility for tasks outside of the office) for the planning process and then be available for helping with the actual events, which would be in the evening. The intern may be asked to help with office tasks such as mail-outs and data-entry when necessary. We are looking for motivated, outgoing, enthusiastic, and independent individuals, preferably with experience in event-planning. Interns should be prepared to bring new ideas to the role, as well as a high level of commitment. Education and Prevention Internships Our Education and Prevention (“EP”) department is responsible for raising HIV/AIDS awareness and providing individuals and communities with tools to make informed decisions about their health. We have various outreach programs including presentations, workshops, kiosks and building partnerships. Our target groups are: youth at risk, queer youth, gay men/men who have sex with men, and people living with HIV. There are a couple of different ways you can participate: Presentation Interns Research and Development Interns Gay Men’s Health Interns Do I need to speak French to do an internship with ACCM? Technically, we provide services to the Anglophone community of Montreal, and our working language is English. However, we are in Montreal, and 40% of our clients are Francophone. For the JR Rainville Centre, or EP, French is not required, though a basic knowledge is helpful. For the Office, a basic minimum of French (enough to answer the phone and transfer calls) is required. To work for the Buyers’ Club (a possible role in the Office), spoken French is an absolute must, and written French would be very helpful too. How do I get to ACCM’s main offices? Click here to go to our contact page, you find all of our contact information and a map of the area. We are between Metro Sherbrooke (orange line) and Metro Beaudry, and are pretty much a 15 minute walk from each one. If you’re coming from Concordia, the easiest thing to do is take the 24 bus east until the corner of Plessis. This stop is quite noticeable, as there is a large hospital on the corner there, and the Park on your left-hand side. Then you just walk down the hill – we’re the big stone building on the east side of the street, near the bottom of the hill, just next to a little park. Our offices are in the basement, so you need to take the wheelchair ramp located on the left of the main stairs outside. Questions about screening and placement: What is the ACCM screening process? ACCM’s screening and placement process for interns and volunteers has four parts: the intake form, initial screening, the interview, and the 3-month probation. 1. Intake form: After the Community Internship Coordinator tells you where you’re placed at ACCM, fill out the Volunteer Intake Form. Please email this form to the volunteer department at volunteer@accmontreal.org. Please ensure that you fill it out completely and correctly – the form does play a role in the screening process. 2. Initial screening: Once we receive your application, you can expect a phone call from the volunteer department to confirm that we’ve received it and to ask you a few basic questions. 3. The interview: A department coordinator will call you to set up an interview. The interview is 45 minutes long and is a chance for you to learn more about ACCM, and for us to learn a bit more about you, to see if your interests and skills will mesh well with our work. As long as you have remembered to fill out and email in your Intake Form, you don’t need to bring anything. A few days after the interview, the Coordinator of Fundraising and Volunteers will contact you to let you know if you will be able to do your internship with ACCM. 4. Probation: All ACCM volunteers and interns are on a relatively informal probation for the first three months. This means we can ask you to leave your internship if there are problems. This doesn’t happen very often, don’t worry! Reasons for dismissal might include: missing a training session without an excuse; missing a shift without a proper excuse; frequently not being able to keep commitments; not being able to complete the necessary work. ACCM provides training for interns and other volunteers so that they will be prepared for their roles. Please look at this list carefully — some training sessions are mandatory for certain positions, some are mandatory for all positions, and some are optional. HIV 101 – mandatory
for all departments Orientation – mandatory
for all departments HIV 201 – mandatory
for all departments Anti-Oppression – mandatory
for all departments Coping with Loss – mandatory
for JR Rainville Centre, optional for other departments Depression and Suicide –
mandatory for JR Rainville Centre, optional
for other departments Healthcare Rights – optional TBD TransIssues - Mandatory for Education & Prevention Volunteers TBD Active Listening 201 - TBD Sero-Phobia- TBD Please register, including for your required trainings, with volunteer@accmontreal.org |
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