Volunteering to Become a Community Council Member
Process
Background on the process for applying to be a Community Council member:
Aboriginal Legal Services is accepting applications from community members to serve as volunteers with the Community Council Program (CCP). The Community Council consists of volunteers who are willing to give a few hours of their time each month to work with Aboriginal people who have come into conflict with the criminal justice system. In order to ensure that the Community Council can meet the growing need for its services and that Council members represent the Aboriginal community of Toronto as fully as possible, the CCP has developed an application process for those wishing to volunteer their services as a Community Council Member.
Volunteers for the Council must be of Aboriginal descent and 18 years of age or older. All applicants must fill out an application form for the Council and submit it to ALS. A committee of Council members will review all applications. Following the review of applications, interviews will be held with selected applicants. Following this interview, selected applicants will be asked to attend an orientation session, which will give them an opportunity to learn more about the Council process and roles and responsibilities of Council members.
Following the orientation, applicants will be given the opportunity to sit-in or one or two Council hearings to get a feel for the process. Applicants will then sit in hearings as full participants. After three months of sitting in hearings, there will be a review of the volunteer’s progress with Council members and staff. After six months, if the volunteer’s performance and attendance at Council hearings remains positive, the volunteer will become a permanent Council member.
Those applicants who are selected for an initial interview are required to provide ALS with an up-to-date CPIC (criminal records) check before their interview. Aboriginal Legal Services will reimburse applicants the cost of a CPIC check. A prior criminal record will not necessarily prevent a person from being a Council volunteer.
Background on the process for applying to be a Community Council member:
Aboriginal Legal Services is accepting applications from community members to serve as volunteers with the Community Council Program (CCP). The Community Council consists of volunteers who are willing to give a few hours of their time each month to work with Aboriginal people who have come into conflict with the criminal justice system. In order to ensure that the Community Council can meet the growing need for its services and that Council members represent the Aboriginal community of Toronto as fully as possible, the CCP has developed an application process for those wishing to volunteer their services as a Community Council Member.
Volunteers for the Council must be of Aboriginal descent and 18 years of age or older. All applicants must fill out an application form for the Council and submit it to ALS. A committee of Council members will review all applications. Following the review of applications, interviews will be held with selected applicants. Following this interview, selected applicants will be asked to attend an orientation session, which will give them an opportunity to learn more about the Council process and roles and responsibilities of Council members.
Following the orientation, applicants will be given the opportunity to sit-in or one or two Council hearings to get a feel for the process. Applicants will then sit in hearings as full participants. After three months of sitting in hearings, there will be a review of the volunteer’s progress with Council members and staff. After six months, if the volunteer’s performance and attendance at Council hearings remains positive, the volunteer will become a permanent Council member.
Those applicants who are selected for an initial interview are required to provide ALS with an up-to-date CPIC (criminal records) check before their interview. Aboriginal Legal Services will reimburse applicants the cost of a CPIC check. A prior criminal record will not necessarily prevent a person from being a Council volunteer.
Application
Applications will be considered throughout the year for volunteers with the Community Council Program.
For more information on the Community Council Program, please go to the Community Council Program page on our website.
For the application form itself, please click below. The role of volunteers is crucial to the success of the Community Council Program.
Download Volunteer Application (PDF)
