Youth in Action Program
Youth Leadership
This program is designed for youth between the ages of 15 to 18, attending high school in School District 43.
Youth are coached and mentored, to connect to their community and develop leadership skills, while they complete their volunteer hours over the course of a school calendar year.
What Do YiA Volunteers Do?
Youth in Action volunteers are part of a diverse team of students working towards a year-long, youth-led project to benefit the community. The project provides high school students with an opportunity to develop employable skills, leadership experience, and complete 60 volunteer hours.
What’s Expected From YiA Volunteers?
At the beginning of the school year, youth meet in person and online, every other Saturday, until the end of the school year. Meetings are approximately two hours long, with an agenda that provides structure for everyone to work together as a team. The group plans objectives and activities around one of the 17 sustainable goals, creates a timeline for achieving their goals, takes on specific role related tasks, and coordinates the logistics of planned events.
What Can YiA Volunteers Expect in Return?
Youth are coached by a facilitator and mentored throughout the year, to develop the skills they need for their project to succeed. Youth have access to seasoned staff during group meetings and one-to-one meetings. This unique experience provides youth an opportunity to work in a non-profit environment to prepare them for future employment.
At the end of the school year, the project comes to a close, and youth volunteers graduate from the program to make way for a new group of youth volunteers and project goals.
What Kind of Commitment is Required?
High school students are recruited during August and September. We will reach out to career counsellors in SD #43 to announce volunteer opportunities, and how to apply. The Youth in Action (YiA) program is a year-long commitment from September to May.
The Youth in Action (YiA) project is a year-long project that requires a full year’s commitment, from May to April. To get on our list for 2023-2024, connect with Danielle for more Information.