• Before the meeting, ask the counselor to print an award letter for each of the students. The letter is available on our Website under the School & Ambassador Resource Files link at the bottom of each page. The password is Resource (note the uppercase R).

• Confirm the names of the school’s Principal and the primary Guidance/HOST contact.

• Watch the video then present the award letter. If you are unable to open the video, it often works if you copy the link and paste it into a web browser. The video is also available on our web site, www.HelpOurStudentsProgram.com; at the bottom of each page, there is a School Resource Login. It’s password-protected: Resource (note capital R). You can also access it directly at: https://video.wixstatic.com/video/daba09_13008575cb754a2695215b376f5dbcf1/720p/mp4/file.mp4

 

Reassure the student that most of the information you are giving them is contained in the award letter. Students may be overwhelmed/surprised and not taking in all the information. Some do not read the award letters, which is why we bring up key points contained in the award letter.

 

• Tell the student that the award is for $160 per month for the 10-month school year.

• Encourage the student to open a Student bank account as soon as possible. A Youth account does not allow us to make transfers to them.

• Stress that the student must complete the JotForm Bank Information Form as detailed in the award letter. We need the information from the form to know where to transfer the award money.

• Stress the requirement to include a copy of a void cheque on their JotForm.

• Explain and warn HOST recipients about a fake cheque deposit scam, which typically catches one or two of our students each year. Reinforce messaging to students about fraud prevention and no cashing cheques for others.

• Stress with recipients that if they open a bank account online or by telephone, they must then go to the bank in person and present ID to verify their identities and to activate the account. The student should confirm with the bank official that the “opened online flag” is removed to allow award transfers. 

• Stress to students that the bank account must be their personal, individual account, not a joint account with a parent or guardian.

• Reassure students who contact us that award recipients will receive the full award amount when there are delays in opening accounts due to delays in obtaining acceptable ID.

• Ask if the student has any questions.

• Leave a business card with the Counsellor.

• Once the meeting with the student(s) has been completed, notify Rick so that he can update the Ambassadors’ spreadsheet.

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* Fake cheque deposit scam: A scammer sends or gives a real-looking cheque and asks the student to deposit it and return part of the money. Once the bank flags it as fake, the student is left responsible for the loss. Recipients are responsible for any funds deposited into their account.

 

Fake cheques generally look just like real cheques, even to bank employees. They are often printed with the names and addresses of legitimate financial institutions. They may even be real cheques written on bank accounts that belong to someone whose identity has been stolen. It can take weeks for a bank to figure out that the cheque is a fake.

 

Some consequences of depositing a fraudulent cheque:

• Your bank reversing the deposit, pulling the money from your account.

• Overdraft fees or returned payment charges if you’ve already spent part of it.

• Frozen or closed bank accounts.

 

Important Notes:

• Students should not be told anything about the award before the meeting and watching the video. Counsellors may simply tell them that it will be good-news meeting. We want every recipient to receive the same information about HOST and why they were selected focused on hard-working, not financial difficulties.

• It is best to meet each student separately. We don’t want any of the students to know which other students are in need.

• There are increasing difficulties for students opening a bank account because of insufficient documentation due to the banks tightening ID requirements in light of the escalation of fraud cases.

• All students, including Streaming Students, must be told that the award is for the current school year only and there should be no mention of renewal.

• It is always preferable to have the award presentation done by an ambassador to ensure consistent messaging about the selection process i.e. hard work and teacher recommendations vs. poverty. Ambassadors also answer questions about the program and raise important points such as warning students not to cash cheques from unknown sources. However, if there is a scheduling conflict or if at the initial meeting there is an absentee student, it is the ambassador’s decision whether to ask the counsellor to present the outstanding award(s) or to return for another visit.