Face à Face’s Annual Benefit Gala

/in /by

The Face à Face Listening and Intervention Centre invites you to restaurant ZIBO! for our annual Benefit Gala on Friday the 28th October from 5pm.

A cocktail reception, a raffle with excellent prizes and our special guests the jug-band Old Time Honey are on the menu.

Come savour food and drink, dance and offer your support, but above all, come and enjoy the evening in good company!

Tickets are on onsale on yapsody or at the centre- ask for Meghan, Eric F. or Eric D.

 

gala-poster-sm

BUY TICKETS

Board Members Needed

/in /by

Face à Face is looking for new board members, more specifically in the marketing and finance department. The centre needs someone who can champion non profits and help them become viable in difficult times.

Board members are responsible to attend monthly meetings to ensure the financial stability of Face à Face, define and implement long and short term goals, increase and implement hiring and staff policies and ensure the process of the board of directors.

If you are an expert in the field of marketing or finance and would like to give your time to a great organization or have any questions regarding our board members, write to us at info@faceafacemontreal.org

IMG_2012

Volunteer Opportunities

/in /by

We are currently looking for new volunteers for our next session, from January to April 2016.

Being a part of our volunteer team will allow you to gain experience in intervention, active listening, and will give you the opportunity to develop new skills.

Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in joining our team!

Check out the volunteer tab to fill out the application form or write to info@faceafacemontreal.orgteam picture small

When Stress Takes Over

/in /by

We have all experienced times when the worst scenarios have formed in our heads. My god is tomorrow already the day of the exam? I have not studied enough, I’ll fail my school year, I’m sure my girlfriend is angry with me, she’ll leave me, or I have a lump on my neck, it could be the beginning of cancer and I’ll die! It is at this point that I call “our inner hamster is put to work” and hard work. But to think of it, did you realize that it is rare that these “Hollywood” scenarios materialize? So calm down!

But how do you find inner peace and quietness? There is no miracle, but knowing that you are in a moment of panic is the first step. Then the means we use to calm ourselves are personal to everyone and should not be judged. All that counts is that it works. Meditation, walking or relaxing with a good book are all good ways if they manage to relax you. As for meditation, you do not have to be a monk to meditate. Simply being able to focus on breathing and be attentive to your physical sensations. Try it, you’ll see that it works! We forget our problems! Among the types of meditation that exist, there are dynamic meditations, perfect way to start the day, meditation fully aware, ideal to focus in the present moment or meditation through laughter which is excellent if you are too serious in life. These are just some meditation techniques that exist. It is up to you to find one that suits you!

Personally, when I’m stressed, I like taking a hot bath while listening to sports news. What a joy to feel hot water soothe my muscles while listening to people criticize the performance of the Habs! I listen to people ignite rage against the CH. Often, after listening to them you would think that the whole team should change! Ron Fournier than adds a little humour and in the space of half an hour, I forget all my problems. You tell yourself that it would not work for you and you are probably right because it is the very personal method I use to help my stress. You need to find your own method that will bring you into a state of well-being. Trust yourself, you are able to find your own method and above all, do not let others judge you. Remember that all that counts is that it works!

Stress is part of our life and whether we like it or not, we cannot escape it. But if we can manage to escape it we have control of our emotions and how we go through these moments of storms.

Steeve Désaulniers

What Do You Want To Do When You Grow Up?

/in /by

How many of us can say that we knew from a young age what it is that we wanted to grow up to be? How many of us have wanted to become lawyers at 14 years of age and actually became lawyers by 25? Some of us, yes, but for most of us it doesn’t always pen out that way. I can remember my sister wanting to become a doctor since she was in high school. And today I can proudly say that she is about to start medical school this January. Unfortunately for me, knowing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life didn’t come as easily.

I started at Concordia University in September of 2011 as an Independent student. Being an Independent student allows you to “test the waters”, it allows you to try out different courses and see what your likes and dislikes are. I tried literally everything, from night grueling math classes, to marketing courses, to biology – really, I tried it all. I also started volunteering for the first time in my life, because honestly, I don’t really count Christmas caroling when I was 8 years old as an appropriate volunteer experience to put on my CV. This experience was different, it was a project organized by Concordia called ASB, or Alternative Spring Break, which allows students to choose a location such as Montreal, the Laurentian’s, or New Orleans, and leave for a week to do volunteer work. So I left for New Orleans in February with a group of students to work in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild the homes of those who lost theirs to hurricane Katrina in 2005. And, as cliché as it may sound, that was really the week that I knew that I wanted to be in the social work field. I wanted to help people achieve their true potential. It just fit, like a key in a lock and just like that I knew what field I wanted to study in and how I wanted to align myself in terms of career goals and aspirations. Coming back from this trip I immediately applied into the Human Relations program at Concordia. I started getting more and more passionate about helping others and took on more volunteer work such as volunteering at the Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre which is a centre who’s goals is to empower the community of Little Burgundy by offering programs for both parents and children alike. My time spent volunteering was focused on the children’s summer camp program as well as helping tutor the children in their after-school program in September.

By the time I was nearing my final year in University I started volunteering at Face a Face. This was by far the best learning opportunity that I ever could have dreamed of. I got to work with a wide variety of wonderful clients from whom I have been able to learn from. Those clients have made an impact in my life and I hope more than anything that they can say that I have done the same for them. I am currently doing my summer stage at Face a Face and will be graduating from Concordia with my bachelor’s this upcoming December. Volunteering has changed who I am for the better. It has given me the opportunity to learn, and grow, and it has given me a purpose and direction for my life. I look forward to the future and I am eager to take all the amazing things that I have learnt from volunteering and from school into my career. And to all those of you who still haven’t figured out your life’s purpose – don’t worry too much. Because in the end it always works out the way it’s supposed to be. And volunteering in your community is also an amazing way to figure out what you want to do; I can definitely say that it worked out for me.

Stephanie Underwood

Community Involvement and Development

/in /by

What is community development and how can we make our community stronger? Community development is based on a group of people in a community who are willing to initiate social action in order to bring about the desired change that they wish to see happen. Without community development we cannot implement change within our communities.

So, what exactly drives individuals to commit to the development of communities? The drive comes from our motivation and our hunger to see a change in the world. It stems from and is guided by our values, principles, and assumptions that come from our backgrounds and cultures. It also comes from our personal experiences and our conscious decisions about what is right. These values, principles, and assumptions that we have shape our vision of the world as it should be, and ultimately motivate us to try and make it so. The major goal of community work is to improve the quality of life of a person or of a particular group in society, which leads to changing some important aspects of the way the community thinks or functions as a whole.

Why am I writing about any of this? Because our world desperately needs driven individuals who are willing to work hard and make change happen, to change lives, to change our own community and eventually all of society as we know it. Guided by our own life experiences, values, principles, and assumptions we can help to make a much needed difference in this world.

Volunteering is such an important part of my life and has been since I started University in 2011. I wanted to involve myself within the Montreal community and I wanted be a part of something bigger than myself. If you are reading this and you have the desire and the hunger to go out there and be a part of something bigger, I encourage you to dive in and explore the world of volunteering and community service and see just how rewarding and gratifying it is for yourself. Go out there and get involved. Get motivated. And be the change that you want to see happen in society.

“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.” – Nelson Mandela

Source:

How Volunteering Helped Me Get into Master’s

/in /by

Some people are born knowing what they want to do when they grow up. I however, was not one of them. I had no idea what I wanted, all I knew was that I had a desire to help people. When I graduated CEGEP, I applied and got accepted into a Bachelor of Psychology. I loved it. I worked extremely hard in my classes and I volunteered in research labs. I was so inspired that I truly believed I was going to be the best psychologist in Montreal.

I graduated with distinction, applied for a Master’s in the Counseling and Educational Psychology program, and life was good. Then I got terrible news: my Master’s application was rejected. Once again, I was lost and had no idea what to do with myself. I had a whole year that was officially empty and I decided I would use this time to figure out what I want.
Then something interesting happened, two completely unrelated individuals in my life recommended that I build my CV during this year off by volunteering at a community organization. I didn’t know much about where to volunteer so I started looking on the volunteer bureau of Montreal website.

I found an organization called Face à Face (aka. FaF) that interested me for two reasons: first, FaF mostly works with adults and since I had only worked with youth, it would be an opportunity to expand my experience. Second, there was some psychology subject overlap and it would give me a chance to practice. I decided to give it a try. I applied, got accepted, and two years later I’m still here.

A lot has changed in those two years and FaF and other community organizations have been with me every step of the way. During my year off I volunteered at FaF twice a week, worked, and volunteered at another community organization tutoring troubled youth. The best part of my week was volunteering. Not only do you feel good for helping others but you also build lasting connections with individuals working in the community. Once again I was inspired and I knew that volunteering at community organizations helped me figure out who I really am. I met some wonderful people and made some lifelong friendships. I also gained valuable interpersonal skills.

I re-affirmed that I want to work with vulnerable people and make a difference in people’s lives. Through my volunteer work and my interest in youth, I came to believe that the best way for me to implement change starts when individuals are young through the education system. Based on this inspiration I applied for Master’s again. This time, I applied in a project concentration and proposed a project based in schools to help transition age youth in vulnerable situations. I also asked for a letter of recommendation from my volunteer supervisors and they both agreed. A couple months later, I got into Master’s! Around that time, I also got offered a job at FaF that I gladly accepted.

Now I have finished my first year of Master’s, I’m living in my own condo, and I’m working at FaF full time this summer. Through volunteering at two organizations, I came to learn about others that were also impacting the Montreal community. There are numerous projects happening all over the city by the numerous organizations that continue to help people every day.

In the end, volunteering not only allowed me to change other people’s lives, but it also gave me the drive and support to change my own.

Source:
Charlie Ohayon

Counseling Service

/in /by

We provide short-term counselling to individuals who are struggling with different emotional or psychological stresses. We aim to help identify strengths and coping mechanisms and explore options that will increase the overall well-being of the individual. Our counselling service is offered for a period of 8 weeks, one-on-one with a Face à Face worker, free of charge! All discussions remain confidential between the staff and the client. For more information, call us or send us an email. It is important to note that our staff are not licensed counsellors, but they can provide you with additional resources if need be.

Counselling application form

Active Listening and Referral Line

/in /by

We offer active listening services in person or over the telephone to anyone struggling with personal or social issues with the aim of promoting healing, personal growth and empowerment. A team of trained volunteers are available to listen to you and help you overcome your personal difficulties. We offer you the opportunity to express your thoughts and feelings in an empathetic and confidential environment. A referral service is also available to inform you of other resources available in the community.

Mail Reception

/in /by

We offer a secure mail reception service for individuals without a fixed address or who need a safe place to receive important documents including welfare cheques and government documents. Our mail service is safe, secure, and confidential. Clients can come in person to open a file with us, or contact us by phone or email for more information.