VICCIR's Health and Cultural Ambassador Training - October 17th/18th 2026

Who is VICCIR and what is an HCA?

Founded in 2015 in Victoria, BC, VICCIR provides mental health counselling to immigrants and refugees living on Vancouver Island, across BC, and other Canadian provinces. VICCIR was founded in response to the dire need to address urgent gaps in trauma-informed and culturally-appropriate services for refugees and immigrants with limited English fluency.

The HCA program was designed to connect VICCIR directly with communities, improve access to mental health support, and reduce stigma around seeking mental health services among immigrant and refugee communities.

The program was inspired by a community mental health model developed by Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières). VICCIR Founder and acting Executive Director, Adrienne Carter, helped develop this approach during her work in Kosovo in 1999. The model trains local volunteers with social service and health backgrounds to provide basic mental health support and psychoeducation within their own communities.

Current HCA activities include (but are not limited to):

Facilitating psychoeducation and well-being workshops for Seniors (active groups are Chinese, Hispanic, Iranian, and Vietnamese)
Facilitating Youth Resilience workshops in middle and high schools as well as at UVic
Providing one-on-one support to clients of VICCIR's core counselling service

If you are interested in joining VICCIR as an HCA, we will first have an informal conversation/interview to assess your fit and the organizations current needs. Please provide your information below and we will reach out to conduct a virtual interview in the coming weeks.

Key Details

📅 Date: Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th

🕙 Time: 10:00 a. m. – 5:00 p. m.

📍 Location: UVic Campus, Room: MacLaurin D278.

💰 Cost: Free for all, lunch and refreshments provided!

📞 For more information: +1 250 683-8486

📧 Email: hmckenzie@viccir.org

Question Title

1. What is your full name? (Required.)

Question Title

VICCIR's Health and Cultural Ambassador Training - October 17th/18th 2026

Question Title

1. What is your full name? (Required.)

Question Title

2. What is your age? (Required.)

Question Title

3. What is your contact information? (Email and phone, if possible) (Required.)

Question Title

4. Please provide three 30-minute time slots where you are available for a brief virtual conversation/interview. (Required.)

Question Title

5. What languages do you speak? (Required.)

VICCIR's Health and Cultural Ambassador Training - October 17th/18th 2026

Question Title

* 1. What is your full name? (Required.)

Question Title

* 2. What is your age? (Required.)

Question Title

* 3. What is your contact information? (Email and phone, if possible) (Required.)

Question Title

* 4. Please provide three 30-minute time slots where you are available for a brief virtual conversation/interview. (Required.)

Question Title

* 5. What languages do you speak? (Required.)

1. What is your full name? (Required.)

2. What is your age? (Required.)

3. What is your contact information? (Email and phone, if possible) (Required.)

4. Please provide three 30-minute time slots where you are available for a brief virtual conversation/interview. (Required.)

5. What languages do you speak? (Required.)