Wonderful Experience

  Canada

• All Other Areas in Canada: 
Halifax

Length of Position: 1 year or more
Duration of Program: 1-2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 years
Dates: November

Description: L'Arche Cape Breton is a non-profit charitable organization, and is looking for energetic, open-minded, and enthusiastic individuals to spend time as live-in assistants in our community this Summer and Fall. We provide homes and work places for people with disabilities. It can be a way to learn about community development, have fun, to discover the beauty of people with disabilities, and to learn about yourself. Cape Breton is a rural island rich in natural wonders!

We are currently starting an organic garden project where we hope to grow our own food and live more sustainable. Assistants and core people would work together in the garden, learning about where our food comes from, how to compost and preserve the harvest.

L'Arche assistants come from every age bracket and every walk of life. Here at L'Arche Cape Breton, many of our assistants are young - between 18-30 - and come to us during or after their post-secondary education. They are enthusiastic, open-minded individuals who have found something lacking in the academic world and are seeking a way to integrate their classroom learning with 'real life'. Assistants are attracted by the spirited, youthful atmosphere of our community and the intensity of life with men and women with disabilities.

Highlights:
A great place . . . for all ages and all walks of life.
A great way to learn about yourself, to build community and learn about people with disabilities
A great place to learn new skills, sing songs and live in a beautiful area
A great place to meet new people, build lasting friendships and meet others from around the world
A place to improve your English skills, learn about Canada
A place to laugh, learn and build lasting memories.

Qualifications: Applicants to L'Arche Cape Breton need not have previous experience or training. Any and all training you need is provided during your first three months in the community. However, we are looking for people who are:

* Positive and Open Minded
* People who want to make a difference in the world
* Are able to work on a team
* Mature and Honest
* Creative ( enjoy crafts, singing, playing music)
* Able to work under stress
* Enjoy working with people and respectful of diversity

Responsibilities:

As an assistant at L'Arche Cape Breton your time is spent learning about and assisting the people with whom you share a home with. Responsibilities include cooking and cleaning together, planning day trips and vacations, participating in regular community activities (like community prayer, summer bonfires, meetings and Winter Games) as well as helping people with all the basic tasks of daily life, such as personal care (bathing, picking out cloths to ware etc.). You will have regular scheduled days away, personal vacation time, yearly retreats, and opportunities for formation and training.

Assistants also help out in our work programs, of which there are six.
The workshop, where we make crafts, The Ark Store and Hope Chest, where we sell our crafts along with second hand cloths, the Siesta Club, for our aging core members, the Caper Club and starting summer 2008, we will have an organic garden project, which will supply fresh vegetables and flowers to our six houses and work programs.

Salary / Pay: You are paid monthly, on a stipend.

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Our volunteers are positive, passionate and enjoy working with people.

Age Range: 18-60

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Canada Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 5-10

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

L'Arche Cape Breton's Mission Statement: L'Arche Cape Breton is an ecumenical, Christian community. At the heart of our community are people with developmental disabilities and those who choose to share life with them. We are inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's vision of community, based on a life of simplicity, sustained by the work of our hands, and nourished by the mystery of God's presence in all religions, races, and creeds. At the heart of our unity must be the poorest, the weakest, and those who suffer; those for whom God's preference is shown and with whom God identifies.

Year Founded: 1983

L'Arche Cape Breton is a ecumenical based organization. We do not require our participants to be of the same faith. Our volunteers will not be involved in religious proselytizing.