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How the Site Placement Process Works - Click Here to learn about becoming a Site!

Prior to beginning the site placement process, our Volunteers are asked to commit to the Amate House program - while direct service is a critical part of the Amate experience, it is just as essential that our Volunteers be willing to fully commit to our other tenets of community, faith, social justice, and stewardship.  Once a prospective Volunteer confirms with our program, they are sent a list of site placements that are available to them.

 

After reviewing the job descriptions, the Volunteer selects 2-4 sites that they are interested in interviewing with.  In-person interviews are highly recommended (and some sites require them), but some sites do allow for phone interviews.  After the Volunteer has conducted all of his/her interviews, he/she communicates to the Amate Program Director his/her preferences.  The Program Director will then contact the Volunteer's top preference and see if the site is interested in having the Volunteer fill the position.  If so, the Volunteer is placed.  If not, we will check with the second preference, and so on, until we find a match.

 

Due to the collaboration required for this process to work, we ask our Volunteers to be flexible in the process, and to be prepared and willing to accept a site placement that might not be their top choice.  Our site placement process is unique because we believe that it is critical for both the site and the Volunteer to agree to the partnership - we give both sides the flexibility to either accept or reject a placement.  This process has been extremely successful for us over the years - we boast over a 95% success rate for site placements!

 

Sample of Amate Volunteer Site Placements

Note:  this list represents only a sample of current and past sites that Amate House has partnered with.  Our sites re-apply to be part of our program each year - this list is merely meant to provide a representation of some of the sites our Volunteers have served with.

 

Teaching/Education

• Academy of St. Benedict the African:  Pre-K through 8th grade Catholic school serving nearly 100% African-American students in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Englewood.   Amate volunteers have often served as preschool- second grade teachers here.  This school has an outstanding reputation for innovative curriculum.  Opportunity for extra-curricular involvement in sports, Rainbow Club and others.
  
• St. Agnes of Bohemia School:  Pre-K through 8th grade Catholic school in the heart of Little Village, a predominately Mexican community on the west side of Chicago.  St. Agnes is the gem of the schools in the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago serving the Hispanic population.  There are many opportunities for additional after school involvement. 

Parish/Ministry

• Catholic Charities:  Catholic Charities of Chicago offers a wide variety of placements including case management for those needing emergency services, activities planning for the elderly and early childhood education.
  

• Blessed Sacrament Teen Center:  Located in McKinley Park on the South West side of the City, this parish is just a few blocks from Amate House South.  Blessed Sacrament has a daily Teen Reach after-school program for middle and high school students from the neighborhood.  The program includes homework tutoring, educational activities and recreation.

Social Service Agencies

• Cabrini Green Legal Aid:  CGLA prides itself in serving “the poorest of the poor” in the areas of Housing Law, Criminal Law and Family Law.  Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in a variety of areas, including volunteer coordination.

• Heartland Alliance:  A social service agency primarily serving refugee and immigrant populations through a large number of programs offering education/tutoring for youth, resettlement assistance, health care, and other emergency aid.

• Howard Area Community Center:  The Howard Area Community Center is a community-based multi-service agency serving the Rogers Park community for over 40 years. Their mission is to assist low-income individuals and families to stabilize their lives and to develop the skills necessary to become effective community members.
  
• Taller de Jose:  Taller is located just a couple blocks away from our Little Village Amate House community, and serves local immigrant clients in need of many different social services.  It is important that the volunteer be able to speak Spanish on a conversational level at this site. 
  

• Girls in the Game:  Girls in the Game provides and promotes sports and fitness opportunities, nutrition and health education and leadership development to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of girls across the city of Chicago.  The Amate Volunteer has opportunities to visit schools, coach activities and help to recruit and train volunteers.

Public Health/Medical

• Erie Family Health Center:  Erie Family Health is dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, high-quality healthcare for over 28,000 patients per year, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured.  They believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and are actively promoting wellness in Chicago neighborhoods through health education and preventative care.  Amate Volunteers have served with Erie's Dental Health Outreach, HIV Outreach, Development Office, and Nursing.
  

• Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital:  Schwab provides comprehensive rehabilitation care for temporarily and permanently disabled patients throughout Chicago.  Their doctors, nurses, therapists, and case managers provide inpatient and outpatient care, as well as wellness outreach and patient education.  Past Amate Volunteers have served as physical therapists at the hospital.

 Click Here to learn more about becoming a service site for an Amate House Volunteer!