About Us
WELCOME!
If you are reading this guide, it means you have been selected to join the incredible team of volunteers who helped turn the House of Brazilian Culture in Canada into a reality. We are truly grateful for all the time, energy, and trust you have shared with us thus far. The commitment and passion of people like you are what bring this vision to life, and we are honored to have you with us on this journey.
In this guide, you will learn more about our story, our teams, and what you can expect from us. It also lists a set of best practices that will help us guarantee a safe and positive work environment for you. In short, our goal is to ensure that every volunteer feels informed, confident, respected, and valued.
Should you have any doubts or suggestions, please don’t be shy to contact us at oi@casadaculturadobrasil.com. There is no such thing as silly questions or small ideas. Our doors are always open, and now this House is yours too.
Make yourself at home!
En raison de nos ressources limitées, ce guide est offert uniquement en anglais. Pour demander ce contenu en portugais ou en français, veuillez écrire à oi@casadaculturadobrasil.com.
Devido à limitação de recursos, este guia está disponível somente em inglês. Se você precisar da tradução em português ou francês, escreva para oi@casadaculturadobrasil.com.
Due to limited resources, this guide is available in English only. If you need to read this content in Portuguese or French, please contact us at oi@casadaculturadobrasil.com.
OUR STORY
How we came to life
The House of Brazilian Culture in Canada (HBCC) was founded on May 16, 2025. While World Portuguese Language Day is observed annually on May 5, a date officially proclaimed by UNESCO in 2019, many lusophone communities have chosen May 16 to celebrate Portuguese as a Heritage Language. “The Portuguese language is not only one of the most widespread languages in the world, with more than 265 million speakers spread through all continents, but it is also the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere. Portuguese remains, today, a major language of international communication and a language with a strong geographical projection, destined to increase.” (1)
HBCC was founded by Mitsue Siqueira, a Brazilian immigrant living in Quebec since December 2021. After an unfortunate move that involved lifting heavy boxes at home, Mitsue suffered a herniated disk and found herself confined to bed with back pain for nearly a month. For the first time in many years of hard work, she experienced complete idleness. This unexpected pause gave her the space to reflect on her career and sparked the idea for something new: a project where she could unleash her creativity, blending her love for the Portuguese language with the managerial skills she had honed over the course of her professional journey.
And that’s how the House of Brazilian Culture in Canada came to life. On May 22, 2025, HBCC was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization at the federal level under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. A few months later, on September 4, it was also incorporated at the provincial level by the Registraire des entreprises du Québec, solidifying its presence and mission in both Canada and Quebec.
As a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Brazilian language and culture across Canada, we are committed to present all content on our website in Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian English, and Canadian French. Below, you will find our official names and acronyms in each of these languages:
Casa da Cultura do Brasil no Canadá (CCBC)
House of Brazilian Culture in Canada (HBCC)
Maison de la culture du Brésil au Canada (MCBC)
Even if some of our activities and campaigns may not directly resonate with anglophone, francophone, or lusophone audiences, our website will always be available in these three languages. This linguistic effort ensures inclusivity and shows respect for the official languages of both Brazil and Canada.
To learn more about our teams, initiatives and services, please navigate our website.
(1.) World Portuguese Language Day. (2025, December 18). UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/days/portuguese-language
YOUR ONBOARDING
Glad to meet you!
Now that you know a bit about us, it is our turn to get to know you. You may have already received an email from our team asking you to carefully review and sign the following documents:
Electronic Communications Consent
By downloading and signing this agreement, you consent to receive communications from us by email, messaging applications, social media platforms, or other digital platforms. In other words, this agreement outlines how we are allowed to communicate with you.
Media Consent and Release Agreement
By downloading and signing this agreement, you give us permission to publish your biographical information in our website, social media, and other digital marketing materials.
By downloading and filling out this form, you will share with us your personal information (name, email, phone) as well as your biographical information (photo and brief description of your professional journey).
Once the documents are completed and signed, please send them back to the person who contacted you. Bear in mind that you have the right to revoke any of these permissions at any time; just let us know and we will update your preferences.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US
Learning
Being part of this team means you are either an accomplished professional or someone at the beginning of a promising career. No matter your background or level of experience, we want you to learn something while working with us. Our House should serve as a space for learning and exploration. Please use it to practice a new language, build a creative portfolio, experiment with new tools, and develop skills you may not yet have had the opportunity to build.
Validation
Whether you are searching for a new job, completing an internship, or seeking valuable Canadian experience, we are here to support you. We can provide a recommendation letter and are happy to increase your visibility by featuring your bio on our website and promoting your work across our channels.
Respect
Our Code of Conduct defines the principles and expectations for ethical and respectful behavior among our volunteers. Anyone who reports a violation of the Code will be protected from retaliation, and all reported violations will be taken seriously and investigated promptly, to the best of our knowledge and capacity.
Networking
We are a team of professionals with expertise in a wide range of fields, including translation and revision, copywriting, accounting, finance, international relations, and project management. Let us know if you need a helping hand in any of these areas, we will be happy to connect you with the right person.
Technology
As a non-profit organization registered in Canada, we have access to a range of tools available free of charge or at discounted rates. If you need to use any of these tools for a career development project, please contact us so that we can share our license with you. For more information, please refer to the Tools section.
ROUTINES
Meetings
Our teams meet at least once a month and hold two types of meetings: Board Meetings (focused on governance) and Staff Meetings (focused on operations). As a volunteer, you are expected to attend at least one meeting per month. Board members may also be invited to Staff Meetings, although attendance at these is optional. Each meeting lasts approximately one hour and is typically held on Saturdays at 10 a.m. (Montreal time).
Meeting invitations, agendas, minutes, and all information regarding meetings are shared by email under the following subject lines:
- Casa da Cultura do Brasil no Canadá – Staff Meeting
- Casa da Cultura do Brasil no Canadá – Board Meeting
If you need to locate information from a past meeting, simply search for “Board Meeting” or “Staff Meeting” in your inbox to view all related messages. As a standard practice, you will always be invited for regular meetings even if you inform in advance that you will not be able to attend. In such cases, you can simply decline the invitation.
Email and Signature
To keep your personal inbox separate from organizational communications, we will create a dedicated email address for you. This account will be hosted and managed by our IT team, and we will assist you with setting up the account and email signature once we receive your completed onboarding form.
Each volunteer is assigned an email address following a standard naming convention: the first letter of their first name followed by their preferred last name. For example, Mitsue Siqueira’s email address is msiqueira@casadaculturadobrasil.com. We also maintain shared email addresses for each team; you can find more details about these in the Useful Links section.
Timesheet
Please do your best to regularly fill out the timesheet, as it plays an important role in recognizing the time and effort you have invested in us. By recording the tasks you completed and the hours you donated, you help us keep accurate records, track our progress, balance workloads, and plan future activities more effectively.
TOOLS
Google Workspace
Speaking of emails, please avoid sending attachments by email whenever possible. Instead, you can share links to file repositories and documents via Google Drive. This approach has proven to be more efficient and less time consuming, particularly when multiple people need to collaborate on the same documents simultaneously. Should you have questions or concerns about the use of Google Drive, please do not hesitate to contact us at oi@casadaculturadobrasil.com.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT and similar AI engines are a helpful tool for refining language, improving clarity, and polishing tone, but it should be handled responsibly. Please avoid using it as a replacement for your own thinking, creativity, and expertise. Whenever possible, start by developing your own ideas then use ChatGPT to enhance structure, or wording while ensuring the final result reflects our voice and intent.
Canva Pro
As a non-profit organization registered in Canada, we have access to a free licence of Canva Pro, which we are happy to share with our volunteers as a gift. You are welcome to use this licence not only for your work with us, but also for your own personal and professional projects.
Google Classroom
We also have access to Google Classroom, which we are pleased to offer to our volunteers as a benefit. If you are a teacher or are mentoring someone, you may use this platform for activities related to your work with us, as well as for your own learning and organization.
USEFUL LINKS
Onboarding
Electronic Communications Consent – October 2025
Media Consent and Release Agreement – October 2025
Volunteer Onboarding Form – October 2025
Policies and Codes
HBCC’s By-laws – January 2026
HBCC’s Financial Policies – January 2026
HBCC’s Code of Conduct – January 2026
Forms and Guides
HBCC’s Brand Guide – February 2026
HBCC’s Anonymous Reporting Form – November 2025
HBCC’s Timesheet – November 2025
Social Media
Emails
todomundo@casadaculturadobrasil.com – All teams
oi@casadaculturadobrasil.com – General contact and support
governanca@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Governance and board members
operacoes@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Accounting, IT, and Human Relations
cultura@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Workshops and cultural symposium
pesquisa@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Research and Development
parceria@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Contact with donors and sponsors
comunicacao@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Communication team
pedagogia@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Language teaching (Portuguese courses)
consultoria@casadaculturadobrasil.com – Culture and language consulting services