Beyond Me is a student-run non-profit organization from McGill University with a mandate to provide a fun and flexible one-on-one mentoring program for children and teenagers with special needs. Beyond Me was established in 2011, and the organization has grown rapidly since then and now works with four organizations that cater to young people with disabilities.

Beyond Me gives a student with special needs and a student volunteer from McGill the opportunity to be paired and develop a rewarding relationship. Our volunteers work closely with the family of their “buddy” in order to provide the best form of mentoring they can. This can involve tutoring, homework help, arts and crafts, language and play stimulation, developing social skills, going on fun outings around Montreal and more. We also aid in the socialization of our buddies by planning various child- and teen- friendly events (e.g. Biodome adventures, cooking event, carnival day).

If you’d like to sign up as a mentor, click our website link below and register online!

Big Buddies Tutoring is a club of the Students’ Society of McGill University that matches McGill students with schools on the Island of Montreal which have expressed a desire for extra help for their students. This can take the form of in-classroom helpers, one-on-one in-school tutoring during free time, or more open ‘homework zone’ sessions. We do our best to meet the individual self-defined needs of the schools we work with in ways the school believes will be most effective for their students. We facilitate accessible community outreach and volunteer experience for McGill students by providing matching services and reimbursing public transit fares for tutors who travel to reach their schools.

Borderless World Volunteers was founded to provide a link between university students and local development organizations in developing countries. During the academic year, students identify organizations in developing countries who are in need of assistance and capacity building. Throughout the academic year, students work closely with the organization to understand their issues and co-develop solutions. In the summer, the students travel to work with the organization to implement the project. An important aspect of this field work is ensuring that the skills learned and programs implemented are successfully transferred to the organization to ensure its long term sustainability. By enabling students to have applied learning, we endeavour to build the next generation of leaders in global development.

Ever heard the expression “small change leads to a big difference?” Join us today and prepare to see these words in action. Change for Change is an international network of young adults who are improving communities one set of small change at a time. Through our Chapter at McGill, college students and young professionals are raising funds for community charities through the collection of loose change and larger donations.

Learn more about the mandate and structure of Change for Change SSMU in their club constitution.

MCHAM provides volunteering opportunities for students at several local hospitals (Children’s, General, Shriner’s, Jewish) and we fundraise for the program Lire Imagine Read at Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, which promotes child literacy in the hospital environment. All undergraduate or graduate students are encouraged to join our club by becoming a part of our executive team, four committees, or general member base. Join us and make a difference in the lives of Montreal’s patients!

Want to experience a hospital setting as a McGill undergraduate? MUSHVC is proud to offer you such an opportunity. We have volunteer programs at several hospitals in the downtown area, including the Montreal General Hospital, Montreal Chinese Hospital, MUHC Glen Site, Montreal Neurological Institute, and Shriner’s Children’s Hospital. As volunteers, you will engage with patients, whether it be helping them eat or bringing them coffee or planning hospital wide events or more! We hold volunteer recruitment sessions at the beginning of every semester, so if you are interested, please send us an email.

Swimming With A Mission (SWAM) Montreal was the first chapter of SWAM Canada, now a nation-wide program, established in 2004. SWAM Montreal is a registered not-for-profit initiative and a part of the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) that intends to provide affordable and accessible one-on-one swimming instruction to children with disabilities. SWAM Montreal features dedicated student volunteers from McGill University who are committed to redesigning and adapting current swimming curriculum to meet the needs of children with disabilities, which is a population that often lacks suitable water safety education and swimming instruction.

Best Buddies is a friendship organization that matches McGill students with adult members of the Montreal community with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization fosters healthy, supportive friendships, and also promotes group activities to provide a broader community and social awareness.

McGill Students for China Care is dedicated to providing orphans with the medical care and nurturing environment they deserve by raising funds and awareness to provide for their needs.

Learn more about the mandate and structure of McGill Students for China Care in their club constitution.

We are a group of students dedicated to creating a better awareness and culture surrounding concussions. We do this by providing presentations to schools, teams, and other populations. We have an annual panel open to the public that allows specialists and researchers to discuss and answer questions. We are also dedicated to providing support to those in Montreal suffering from concussions or post-concussion syndrome. We do this through weekly support meetings and various concussion friendly events.

Enactus McGill is a group of talented and motivated students from McGill University striving to make a difference in their community and improving the quality of life through entrepreneurial action. This organisation is composed of students representing all faculties within McGill University.

We strive to create a long-term impact on the communities and businesses that we are involved with. Whether it be by providing education to Syrian refugees, empowering young students to become entrepreneurs or empowering the homeless with their recycling business, our projects reach a diverse community both locally and nationally. Enactus McGill is proud to have recently initiated several unique entrepreneurial projects to benefit the Montreal community.

We are a community outreach club that connects students to volunteer opportunities with seniors in the Montreal community. We also host informative events for students to learn more about careers in geriatric health and raise awareness for our aging population.

Habitat for Humanity is an international non-profit organization which seeks to provide affordable housing for all. McGill’s chapter of this global initiative volunteers with Habitat affiliates all over the world, last year building houses in Ontario, Arizona, and Guatemala. In Montreal as well, our volunteers aid local shelters in distributing food and clothing. Habitat is an excellent way to explore outside the McGill bubble for a great cause, all the while meeting new people and having a blast!

Learn more about the mandate and structure of McGill Students for Habitat for Humanity Montreal (MSHFHM) in their club constitution.

McGill Students for Santropol is a SSMU club established in 1995 with Santropol Roulant. The club acts as an on-campus volunteer network that introduces students to the Santropol Roulant community and the volunteer opportunities offered within their Meals-on-Wheels program to prepare and deliver meals to people living with a loss of autonomy. Through McGill Students for Santropol, students can come together and engage in student events, fundraisers, and regular volunteer shifts all under the shared values of community, sustainability, and food security.

McGill Undergraduates for Communication Disorders Awareness (MUCDA) is an on-campus organization made up of undergraduate students from across disciplines, dedicated to raising awareness for individuals with communication disorders. Formed in January 2017, MUCDA is McGill University’s first club dedicated to raising awareness for this underrepresented cause.

Montréal Heart of the City Piano Program (MHCPP) provides children within the Montréal community with the opportunity to take piano lessons which may otherwise not be possible due to financial barriers. MHCPP’s goal is to expose at-risk children to a variety of musical styles and to help them develop an appreciation for music and to empower children to make positive lifestyle choices by increasing their self-esteem and self-discipline. Our program strives not only to provide the children with a musical appreciation and skill but also to provide them with a caring personal and musical mentor.

Peace by P.E.A.C.E. is a McGill student-run organization that facilitates workshops on issues such as conflict resolution, inter-racial harmony, and inner power in elementary school classrooms around Montreal. Students are introduced to cooperative problem-solving skills through games, role-play, art projects, and discussions.

The program strives to leave students with a sense of empowerment, a personal “toolkit” for dealing with complex issues, and confidence in their ability to become catalysts for creative solutions in their own communities.

Projet Montréal McGill Students Association seeks to promote and build upon, with the McGill student body, the mission of Projet Montréal as enumerated in section 2 of its statutes: “Projet Montréal offers Montrealers a way of life in the city on a human scale, respectful of its diversity and the identity and richness of each of its boroughs and each and every one of its residents. To do this, it puts forward an innovative urban, social and economic vision, on the lookout for good practices, centred on sustainable development, democracy, solidarity, equity, social justice, sound management and transparency. The Party aims for a better quality of life for all”.

We are a youth division of Rotary International looking to help the local and international community through various projects. Our motto says it best: “Service above self.”

The mission of Simply Donate is to facilitate the donation and delivery of items to shelters and community centres, while reducing waste in the city.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease that affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide. Canada has one of the highest prevalence rates of MS, which mostly affects the young adult demographic. This same age group is the one that is found in the McGill student community. Currently, there are very few associations that raise awareness for this prevalent disease. For this reason, SAMS aims to increase awareness and fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis through various events and programs.

HELP • CARE • SHARE

“Empowering the world One Smile at a time”

A stay at the hospital is never easy, but the holidays can be especially grim for patients who aren’t able to participate in their usual celebrations. Volunteers for a Smile is a student-run not-for-profit that organizes social events at Montreal hospitals during various celebrations—like New Years, Halloween, and Thanksgiving—with the goal of “bringing the party inside” and a smile to patients’ faces.

Our goal at Youth Outreach Program (YOP) is to mentor at-risk youth in Montreal and develop positive relationships. As a collective, we work to create a safe environment for building interpersonal skills with the children, while emphasizing soft literacy skills such as creativity, communication and self-expression. As a member, you will get to plan activities for your group, develop personal relationships with the youth and the other volunteers.

Youth Outreach Program (YOP)’s goal is to reach out to youth at risk and develop positive relationships while emphasizing soft literacy skills such as creativity, communication, and self-expression. As a member, you will get to plan activities for your group, develop personal relationships with the youth and the other volunteers, and most of all, be a MENTOR. We use a mailing list in order to keep in touch with our members and those interested in joining our group.

Learn more about the mandate and structure of Youth Outreach Program (YOP) in their club constitution.