Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program

We are almost ready to launch our new website, and we are excited about it. If you are looking for more in-depth content about our projects, partners, and community, be sure to check back with us next week. If you are visiting the page to apply to our program, we are excepting applications in the format you find here, so feel free to go ahead!

The Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program (CVAP) is a fee-levy association of Concordia University. CVAP supports community-led development in Gulu, Northern Uganda, and the program provides experiential learning/volunteer opportunities for Concordia students. CVAP is currently seeking a self-motivated individual to guide the program into the next phase of its development; CVAP is hiring to fill the position of Executive Director.

The Executive Director of CVAP is the head of the organization in Canada, and is responsible for overseeing operations in Canada, as well as in Uganda. The Executive Director is the only full-time staff member employed in Canada, and is therefore responsible for planning and executing the work of the organization, and managing the staff, interns, and volunteers of the program.

This position requires a high degree of personal responsibility, the ability to manage multiple tasks and stresses, and excellent prioritization skills. The position also requires integrity and a commitment to social justice. If you enjoy working in a fast paced, community-led environment, this position may be for you.

*Please note that the Executive Director will be required to travel to Uganda in August 2012 for a full-time (unpaid) 10-day training period and that additional training will take place from October 2012 to January 2013. The official start date is January 1st, 2013.
(Please note that this position requires travel to Uganda for a minimum of 3 months per year)

RESPONSIBILITIES INCUDE:
· Resource mobilization – fundraising, donation procurement, grants, identify/coordinate internships
· Human resource management – manage a team of staff, interns, volunteers in Montreal and in Uganda
· Design and implement a training program (with an inter-faculty, interdisciplinary team)
· Keep abreast of current developments in East African politics
· Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders – community partners, student groups, administration, faculty


TO APPLY: Please send...
Resume
Letter of intent (maximum 2 pages)
Brief three year strategic plan outlining how to go about improving/expanding current CVAP activities in Canada and in Uganda

*background knowledge and/or experience in international development work is considered a strong asset
*a more detailed job description is below

Applications are due no later than April 14th, 2012 at the CSU office (H-711) or by email to admin@concordiavolunteers.org

Local Montreal talent will be uniting to show their support for Concordia's Volunteer Abroad Program (CVAP) by putting on a concert at Theatre St Catherine on Thursday March 15, 2012. Doors open at 20h and will feature performances by Casino, Mad June, and Trips and Falls. Tickets cost 10$ in advance or 12$ at the door. Attendees can make additional donations at the event, as well as enter a 50/50 draw. All proceeds will go directly to supporting CVAPs project in Gulu, Uganda.

Contact jeevan@concordiavolunteers.org for tickets.

Hello CVAP'ers,

We hope this find you well. This year CVAP is celebrating it's fifth birthday, and in the spirit of accountability and openness (and in line with our original mandate) we will be presenting a review of our first five years to the CSU council. This will happen at the council meeting on Dec. 14th. While this is simple a review of our past five years it is essential to make a strong presentation to council; CVAP requires your support at this meeting.

As you are the ones who (along with our partners) have made CVAP such a success, it is vital that you participate in this review. Jimmy Otim (our Director of Operations in Uganda) will be attending via Skype. There are two ways that you can be involved in this:

1) Write a brief statement of support: this can be a paragraph, a letter, or a brief anecdote sharing your experience with CVAP and what it has meant to you. What did you learn from your experience with CVAP? How has this helped you in your career and personal goals? We would like to receive your statement by Sunday Dec. 11th.

2) Please attend the meeting if you are able to do so. It is important that council see what the program means to the Concordia student body, and your presence is the best expression of that. You can participate in the meeting just by showing up, or you can let me know if you would be comfortable to speak or answer questions about your experience with CVAP. The meeting takes place:

Date: Wednesday Dec. 14th, 2011
Time: 18-20:00
Where: H-762 (The Hall Building, 7th floor)

Following the meeting we will be having a Birthday/Holiday party at Brutopia (1219 Rue Crescent) to celebrate. Let us buy you a drink to close off the year and catch up with each other. Please RSVP by Friday Dec. 9th. We are aware that many of you will be immersed in exams at this time, but hope that you can make time to attend this very important meeting. Your support is vital!

Let us know if you have any questions, and we look forward to hearing from you.

CVAP is pleased to announce that the deadline for application submissions has been extended.

In an effort to accommodate students as they strive to excel in their studies, some minor changes have been made to the application process and the deadline for submissions has been extended to November 30, 2011.

The Application Package:
• A completed application form (accessible via the Web site)
• A letter of intent (maximum 300 words) 

• Transcript (may be printed from MyConcordia portal) 

• Resume (CV) 

• One letter of reference (Please note, references are accepted via email, provided that they are received from a professional email address)
• A $50 cheque for administrative fees, payable to The Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program (please note: your cheque will not be cashed unless your application is accepted)

Regarding the fundraising requirement - students are asked to demonstrate both a commitment to and involvement with CVAP, and as such must engage in at least 15 hours of volunteer work, as well as a raising of $100. Volunteer work will likely be in the form of planning, promoting, and executing a number of CVAP events, and a percentage of the funds raised will go towards their $100 fundraising requirement. CVAP will support students in their fundraising efforts.

Sincerely,
CVAP

Hello future CVAP volunteers,
Just want to let you know that references do not have to be submitted with the package, which is due November 1st. They can be submitted during the interview process instead.
Looking forward to welcoming you onto our team!!

Uganda was examined by the Universal Periodic Review mechanism in Geneva, and many member States called upon the Government to enact a law against torture, decriminalize homosexuality and drop plans to amend the bail law that seeks to introduce an automatic six-month detention period for certain suspects. In its submission, the US delegation to the Human Rights Council also expressed concern about the continued existence of ungazetted detention centres (safe houses), as well as the use of excessive force against demonstrators in September 2009 and during the walk-to-work protests.

Also, American troops have arrived in Uganda to help capture LRA leader Kony.

Many MPs demanded that oil deals be stopped because there was not enough transparency in the whole process.

In case you missed our information sessions, CVAP staff will be more than happy to fill you in and answer any of your questions. Simply give us a call or stop in during office hours.

Deadline to apply for this two-month life-altering experience is November 1st 2011.

We are now accepting applications for our 2012 program. Volunteers travel to Gulu, Uganda for a period of two months (May & June or July & August). Applications are due November 1st, 2011.

Think you would like to join us this year? Check out our program and the Applying for CVAP page to learn more.

Welcome to our new site! We hope that you are here to check out what we are up to and apply to our program. However, we want to make sure that as a Concordia student you know that our program is supported through a fee-levy and that this fee-levy is optional. For each course a Concordia student takes, 33 cents per credit comes to our program. Here is what we are working on:

- Piloting research projects and internship opportunities between Gulu University and Concordia University for both Concordia and Gulu students (see our Oral History Program for more info)
- Providing better pre-departure training sessions and experiential learning programs for Concordians participating in our (and other) volunteer abroad opportunities
- Installing solar energy and rainwater catchment systems at our facility in Gulu

If you feel that you are unable to support these projects for any reason, you are free to opt-out. Our opt-out policy is attached and you can come by during our office hours, Mon-Thurs 10h-16h, or contact us to make an appointment. Our opt-out period for the fall semester ends Oct. 30, 2011.