The People

Everyone says “our people are our most important asset". At Dans la rue it isn’t an empty boast – from Pops, to the day centre staff, to the volunteers passing out hot dogs and an encouraging word on the Van, our people are who we are.

A Highly Trained Core Team

The job of helping street kids survive the street and build better futures requires the efforts and dedication of a team of highly-trained professionals, support staff and of course the tireless work of hundreds of volunteers.

The core team is made up of trained youth counsellors specialized in working with at-risk youth, plus teachers, nurses and psychologists. They run Chez Pops (the day centre) and The Bunker (overnight shelter) and provide all our intervention, prevention and frontline services.

Volunteers Who Care

Dans la rue depends on the talents, time and commitment of over 135 volunteers. From sorting through donations to working at the Day Centre or on the the Van, our volunteers help us to help the youth in ways that could never be possible otherwise.

Our Team in Detail

Intervention management team

Director of Intervention
Director of Front-Line Services
Coordinator of Intervention Programs

Bunker Emergency Shelter

3 Teams of three youth counsellors (two at night, one during the day)

Chez Pops Day Centre

6 Youth Counsellors on the front-line team
2 Socioeconomic Integration Counsellors
3 Outreach Counsellors for the prevention program
2 Psychologists/Clinical Consultants
4 Family Services Counsellors
School Outreach Counsellor
Mentoring Youth Counsellor
Nurse
Music Therapist
2 Art Therapists (art room)
Coordinator for the action-research program on runaways

On-call personnel

A team of 8 to 15 youth counsellors who replace on-site staff, accompany youths to other facilities and provide additional assistance for select activities and projects.

Administrative team:

Executive Director
Executive Assistant
Director, Development and Communications
Development Coordinator
Communications Coordinator
Administrative Supervisor
Administrative Support
Data Entry Clerk
Accountant
Accounting Assistant
Administrative Assistant (Day Centre)

Support Staff

Head Cook, Assistant Cook and Kitchen Assistant
Building Maintenance Coordinator
Depot Supervisor
Truck Driver
3 Maintenance Workers

Volunteer support team

Volunteer Coordinator
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator

Education team

In conjunction with CREP (Centre de ressources éducatives et pédagogiques):

2 Special Education Teachers: French teacher and math teacher (Sec. I-V)

Youths

In-house positions reserved for employment program participants

Aki Tchitacov

Executive Director

After getting a B.A. in Political Science at McGill and a Masters degree in Public Administration at Concordia, Aki has worked in community organizations all his life. His first job out of college was as Director of Community Development for the NDG YMCA. In 1992 he was promoted Executive Director and oversaw the launch of new programs to serve families, refugees and the disadvantaged.

In 1994 he became Executive Director of the Point-St-Charles Y where he refocused on the Y's original mission to better serve the neighbourhood's youth.

Aki joined Dans la rue in 1997 as Director of the Chez Pops day centre and alternative school. He was named Executive Director in April of 2007.

Dorothy Massimo

Director, Development and Communications

Dorothy joined Dans la rue as the Director, Development and Communications, in 2009. She has twelve years of experience in fundraising, with five years specializing in Major Gifts. Until recently, she held the position of Director of Development at the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS), preparing it for its first Comprehensive Campaign. In 2000, she joined Concordia University as the Coordinator for faculty and staff giving, and later as Advancement Officer at the Faculty of Fine Arts, where she launched its first annual campaign.

Dorothy completed her certification as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) in 2005 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art History from Concordia University.