Andrea's blog

POSITION TITLE: Counsellor / Community Development / Harm Reduction

HOURS: On call, including vacation replacement (July 21 - Aug 8)
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JOB SUMMARY

Under the direct supervision of the Program Manager of Direct Services, or designate, the Counsellor is responsible for the provision and delivery of direct services to persons living with HIV/AIDS on northern Vancouver Island.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES

1. Advocates on behalf of clients with various Ministries and agencies to ensure clients receive maximum information and support.

POSITION TITLE: Full Time Counsellor / Community Development / Harm Reduction

(35 hours/week)
______________________________________________________________________

JOB SUMMARY

Under the direct supervision of the Program Manager of Direct Services, or designate, the Counsellor is responsible for the provision and delivery of direct services to persons living with HIV/AIDS on northern Vancouver Island.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Advocates on behalf of clients with various Ministries and agencies to ensure clients receive maximum information and support.

2. Provides advocacy to clients by performing duties such as speaking on their behalf in areas such as housing, medical, legal and other support agencies.

+ AIDS Vancouver Island’s fixed needle exchange site is set to close on May 31, 2008. A new fixed site has not been found, but AVI will continue to pursue options for fixed needle exchange delivery, in line with best practice guidelines for needle exchange services.

+ After May 31st, AVI will be operating a trial mobile needle exchange program until it finds a new fixed site for the program. This trial will be reviewed at the end of June and then at the end of September. Every effort will be made to meet both the needs of the clients while limiting the impact on the broader community and taking their concerns into account.

Re-using is better than recycling!

Since the media attention on the potential toxicity of BPA (Bisphenol-A), a chemical found in some water bottles, Victorians have been quick to switch to non-BPA alternatives.

But what to do with your stash of water bottles with #7 on the bottom?

AVI has a need for hard plastic containers to give to clients as sharps containers – so that they have a way to dispose of needles safely and help to keep our community clean. Plastic water bottles, especially the Nalgene brand with wide mouth tops, are perfect for this use!

Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) is accepting bottles at their store on Government Street (between Johnson and Pandora) and passing them on to AVI. We then turn them into biohazard containers, which we can then give to clients and community members for sharps disposal! Full bottles can be brought back to AVI.

The 2nd Annual Walk Away From Homophobia in Campbell River will take place on Thursday, May 15, 2008, starting promptly at 5:30PM at the Heritage Pavilion at Bob Ostler Park (formerly Foreshore Park). Campbell River's GLBTQ support group is excited to be hosting this event for the second time.

The group is currently looking for volunteers to act as parade marshals. If you’re interested in volunteering or looking for more information about the event, please contact Leanne at (250)204-2821.

AVI is happy to announce that the AVI Update, Spring 2008 is hot off the press! If you would like a paper version, please stop by our office.

For the first time, our newsletter is available electronically in PDF format. Please click here to download the pdf.

Feedback is welcome - email Andrea at andrea.langlois(at)avi.org with your suggestions.

POSITION TITLE: Street Outreach Worker

DEPARTMENT: Street Outreach Services

SUPERVISIOR: Program Manager

BARGAINING UNIT: Health Services & Support Community Subsector Association

CLASSIFICATION: Pending Grid 10 - $19.72 per hour

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JOB SUMMARY

Under the general supervision of the Manager of Street Outreach Services or the Shift Supervisor, the Street Outreach Worker will provide effective, comprehensive and accessible harm reduction and health promotion services in all aspects of the Street Outreach Services program.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Harm Reduction
a. Provides needle exchange services, distributing condoms, lubricant, alcohol swabs and other harm reduction supplies, as well as harm reduction/health promotion information.

A big thank you to everyone who participated in Dining Out For Life this year.

With 62 restaurants involved – from café cool to upscale chic – the event offered something for every pallet and every pocketbook. Restaurants reported full tables and we have raised over $20,000 for HIV/AIDS services from restaurant and individual donations, and they’re still coming in!

The energy of about 100 volunteers helped to make this event a big success. As always, volunteers stepped up and put their energy and commitment into every aspect of the event – from recruiting new restaurants, to planning the event, to filling boxes and working hard late into the night of March 27.

Participants Needed

Have you been diagnosed with either cancer, end-stage renal disease, or HIV+ status and are at least 12 months past diagnosis?

Would you be willing to share your experience of
living with one of these illnesses?

If you answered “yes” to both of these questions:
We are interested in speaking with you about the possibility of participating in a study being conducted by faculty members from the University of Victoria, School of Nursing.

The purpose of this study is:
To gain an understanding of the experiences of living with the uncertainty of illness. Further, we wish to explore people’s stories of living with illness and how these experiences shift over time.
You will be asked to:

• Participate in up to 3 interviews over 14 months
• Each interview will be tape recorded and last 60-90 minutes
• Engage in a conversation with a researcher to learn about your experiences.

Burning Fort Cinema & AVI's Queer Youth Community Development Program Present:

FTF: FEMALE TO FEMME
A film by Elizabeth Stark & Kami Chisholm

Imagine a world in which the journey toward femme was understood to be as radical as journeys to claim and inhabit other queer bodies. Envisioning more than it documents, FtF: FEMALE TO FEMME celebrates dyke femme identities, combining farce and seduction with analysis and personal history. For years, femmes have forged community and created space for themselves out of edgy performance and authentic parody. FtF recognizes these strategies and builds them into an unforgettable sexy, funny and moving film.

Click here to watch the trailer.

+++
March 28
Screening at 8pm,
+ shorts + discussion

Camas Bookstore and Infoshop
2590 Quadra St. in Victoria BC, Coast Salish Territories.
Camas Bookstore and Info Shop.