Project Summary
Mamas for Mamas is a national charitable organization that supports mothers and caregivers in crisis by providing ongoing support to individuals and families facing various poverty-related struggles.
In the pilot year, student volunteers will conduct research and create public legal education resources such as infographics, how-tos, or blog posts catered towards moms and single parents. The resources will be developed to assist low-income families navigating Child and Family Services (CFS) and housing markets as tenants in Alberta. Specifically, these resources will address four questions:
1) What is required to obtain and maintain legal custody in Alberta?
2) What is the process for securing child support in the province and what factors do courts consider?
3) What are parents’ legal rights when their kids have been apprehended by CFS? What factors do CFS caseworkers consider before apprehending children?
Students will be provided templates by Mamas for Mamas to ensure the content they create meets organizational standards. The resources the students develop based on their research will be shared on Mamas for Mamas Calgary Facebook group and their Calgary office. Students will submit drafts of the project deliverables to the Lawyer Supervisor on a rolling basis, with no first drafts being submitted later than the end of February. Once the Lawyer Supervisor has provided feedback, students will edit their work and make all final submissions before April.
Time Commitment
Law student volunteers on this project are expected to volunteer from October – March (excluding December). Students are anticipated to volunteer approximately 3 to 5 hours a week. Additional hours are at the student’s discretion. Overall, all PBSC projects are easily manageable alongside academic demands.
Required Training
Mamas for Mamas will provide an introductory meeting to law students to detail how the project will proceed. In addition, students must also participate in all mandatory PBSC General Training Sessions in September and October, which includes a mandatory Anti-Oppression Training Session in September, as well as the WestLaw Research Training that will take place in October
Law student volunteers must attend scheduled work-review times with Mamas for Mamas, the Project Lead, and the Lawyer Supervisor, and make themselves available for all organization and PBSC-specific training, meetings, presentations, and Lawyer Supervisor/Project Lead/organization check-ins.
Area of Law
– Family law
– Property law
Number of Students and Prerequisites
– 3 to 4 student volunteers and 1 project lead
– There are no prerequisite requirements
– All years are encouraged to apply
Project Type
Public Legal Information
How to Apply?
Applications for the 2023/2024 are currently open! Please fill out the Google Form linked below.