Katimavik

The Katimavik Logo

For the choir founded in 1970, see Ensemble Vocal Katimavik

For the school, see Katimavik Elementary School

For the structure at Expo 67, see Canadian Pavilion

Katimavik (Inuktitut: "meeting place") is a registered charity which educates Canadian youth through volunteer work. Katimavik provides opportunities for young Canadians to participate in intensive six-month periods of volunteer service through the following themed programs: "Cultural Discovery and Civic Engagement", "Eco-citizenship and Active Living", "Second Language and Cultural Identity", "Eco-internship" (Éco-stage), and "Katimavik Horizon". In each program, volunteers live in groups of 11 young people in one or two different regions of the country, work full time for not-for-profit organizations, and engage in an educational curriculum in which volunteers improve their second official language, learn about environmental stewardship and Canadian cultures, and develop a healthy lifestyle and leadership skills. During the 2011-12 program year approximately 1,150 young Canadians will volunteer in a Katimavik program and live at one of 53 Katimavik houses located across the country while contributing to the work of one of 545 partner organizations.

Overview

Each Katimavik program consists of groups of 11 youths aged 17 to 21 who are drawn from all across Canada. They travel together to one or two different places in Canada for a period of six months. During the 2007-2008 program year there were 99 such groups spread across Canada. Each participant volunteers for about 40 hours per week and completes a learning program that focuses on Canada's official languages, protecting the environment, leadership, cultural diversity, and leading a healthy lifestyle. Each year, more than 500 community non-profit organizations are assisted by Katimavik volunteers doing full-time work for them. Katimvaik has volunteer projects in all 10 Canadian provinces and 3 territories.

As an organization, Katimavik has its national headquarters in Montréal. It also has three regional offices. Its regional office for the Atlantic and Quebec region is also based out of Montréal. For the Ontario region, the head office is located in Ottawa. Finally, for the North, Pacific and Prairies region the organization's regional office is located in Calgary. With each group in the regions a Project Leader lives with the group and supervision is overseen by Project Coordinators.

History

Katimavik was incorporated under the name OPCAN as a non-profit corporation by letters patent dated January 26, 1977 pursuant to Part II of the Canada Corporations Act. It was started by Pierre Elliott Trudeau's government and then Senator Jacques Hébert as well as then Minister of National Defence Barney Danson. Much of Katimavik's structure was taken from Canadian Cadet Organizations and the defunct Company of Young Canadians. The program grew quickly in its initial years to its peak in the 1985-86 program year when there were more than 5000 participants. The program was cancelled that year by Brian Mulroney's new government. Founder Jacques Hébert went on a 21 day hunger strike in protest to no avail. He subsequently worked with then-Quebec region director Claude Raiche to continue Katimavik as an outdoor recreation training centre at Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot. It continued in this form until 1994 when Youth Service Canada helped Katimavik to form a 66-participant six project pilot program. The next year, the Government of Canada's Department of Heritage provided the program with ongoing funding and the number of projects and participants tripled. The size of the program then continued to increase; during the 2005-2006 program year there were 1,155 partipants in 105 communities across Canada. In 2008 Katimavik was granted consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council which has allowed Katimavik to liaise with similar organizations in other countries and represent Canada internationally. Since Katimavik’s inception more than 31,000 youth have taken part in the program.

In 2006, Katimavik was told by the government that its funding was under review and that it was to cease recruitment activities. A letter-writing campaign was organized by Katimavik and funding levels were maintained until October 2010 when the government announced 3 year funding in the sum of $15 million per year, a reduction of approximately 25% from previous funding levels ($19.7 million). The CEO of the organization is currently Daniel Lapointe, who has a background in fund-raising for non-profits.

In terms of programming, Katimavik used to offer one core program which consisted of a 9 month volunteer experience in three different provinces or territories. In the 1980s Katimavik also offered a military option, an opportunity to spend 3 months on an army or navy base learning fundamental skills such as first aid and map reading, as well as basic military skills, such as drills and rifle handling. Since 1977, more than 30,000 Canadians have participated in this Katimavik program which has been staged in more than 2000 communities. In recent years, Katimavik diversified its program offerings. Katimavik launched an Eco-stage program in conjunction with the Government of Quebec which allows young Quebecers between the ages of 18 and 35 to gain experience in an environmentally-related career while drawing upon the educational expertise that Katimavik has built. Katimavik also launched a program called Katimavik North which focused upon pairing groups of youth between the ages of 18 and 25 that were half-composed of young Canadians from the territories and half-composed of young Canadians from the southern provinces; the groups then lived in both Canada's north and south in order to learn from each culture.

Current Funding Agreements

Katimavik has a funding agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage which runs until March 31, 2013. $15 million per year is being contributed to the program under this agreement. Katimavik also has the organization the Katimavik Fund which receives donations on behalf of Katimavik, including those donations made via the Katimavik web site.

The Eco-Internship program is currently supported by a funding agreement with the Quebec Government.

Current Programs

Katimavik's current program offerings relate to the themes of "Cultural Discovery and Civic Engagement", "Eco-citizenship and Active Living", "Second Language and Cultural Identity", and the program "Katimavik Horizon" which combines all of the program elements into a less focused but more diverse experience. About these programs:

Katimavik Horizon

This six-month program provides an opportunity to live and volunteer in two different Canadian communities. The volunteers can shape the program based on the particular aptitudes and interests of the group.

Cultural Discovery and Civic Engagement

For six months youth volunteer in two distinct Canadian communities, one of which has a significant aboriginal population. This program is designed for youth who are interested in discovering the diversity of Canada while engaging in meaningful volunteer service activities. Volunteers will explore the geography, history, economy and socio-cultural makeup of their host communities.

Eco-citizenship and Active Living

This program gives youth the opportunity to develop a healthy lifestyle and to thoroughly acquire an understanding of the important ecological challenges in a Canadian community where they will be located while participating in volunteer initiatives that promote environmental stewardship. Over the course of six months, volunteers obtain an in-depth knowledge and fully integrate in one Canadian community outside the volunteer’s home province where they apply the principles of eco-citizenship.

Second Language and Cultural Identity

For six months youth volunteer in two Canadian communities: one Anglophone community in Western Canada and one Francophone community in Québec. This unique opportunity gives youth the chance to be immersed in an intense linguistic and cultural experience while engaging in meaningful volunteer service.

Éco-stage

Éco-stage is a three-month program for young Quebecois between the ages of 18 and 35 who want to engage in periods of work experience related to getting professional experience in the environmental sector. Interns in this program receive a $3000 allowance to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

British Columbia Pilot Project

In conjunction with the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Francophone Secretariat of British Columbia, Katimavik has a program in which British Columbia youth at risk are paired with youth from Quebec to engage in WWOOFing and volunteer for non-profits in BC, with the aim of developing knowledge of sustainable agriculture and increasing employability.

Application Process and Costs

Youth who apply to the program are randomly selected though groups are based on demographic factors such as mother tongue, sex and province of origin. Selected applicants must submit a completed doctor's examination and criminal record check. The programs run for six month periods from January to June and from July to December.

A selected group of eleven participants might include, for example, one from British Columbia/Yukon, two from the Prairie provinces, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, four from Ontario, three from Quebec and one from the Atlantic provinces. These eleven youth will be between the ages of 17 and 21 (inclusive).

The Katimavik program receives financial support from the Citizen Participation Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Because of this there is no cost for travel, food, or accommodation. Additionally, participants are paid an allowance of $2 a day to cover incidental living expenses. All activities planned by the group are arranged under various learning budgets. Since there is rarely time for any extracurricular activities outside of the program, any sort of group activity expenses are paid for out of the group budget and have to be agreed upon by the group and the Project Leader, i.e. hiking, visiting cultural centers, theater and media presentations, etc. There is a $50 registration fee to apply to the program which covers the costs of processing applications and selecting participants. Additionally, there is a $175 participation fee that participants are expected to fundraise along similar lines to the Canada World Youth and Youth Challenge International programs. This fee covers accident insurance and other administrative costs. There is also a $350 transportation deposit that is paid by volunteers upon departure and refunded upon completion of the program; if a volunteer leaves the program early this deposit is sacrificed in order to cover the increased costs associated with unplanned transportation home.

Program Life

Participants volunteer 35-40 hours a week and participate in workshops and activities with their fellow group members and Project Leader. Three groups in close communities form a "cluster" that may often meet up together for certain activities. Each cluster of four projects is monitored by a Project Coordinator.

During the program participants can expect to abide by certain standards of behaviour which fall into four main categories: participation, health and safety,and respect. Participants are monitored by their project leader, one who lives with them during each phase to lead the project. Project leaders can issue verbal warnings, commitments to improve, final warnings, and expulsions if the behavioural standards are not followed.

Katimavik builds participants' skills during the course of the program by implementing five learning programs, comprising various essential activities and workshops. Katimavik also implements a learning plan, which uses an AARR educational model (Anticipation, Action, Reflection, Recognition) and follows participants through each community. Participants receive six letters of appraisal (3 from the project leaders, and 3 from work supervisors), as well as a certificate of completion upon completion of the program.

As well, while participants are in the program, they will spend a week of their time in each community living with a "host family". This is a family living in the community that has agreed to take on a participant (or 2). This allows the participant to take some time off from group life, while living with members of the community, and learning what it's like to be a local.

Learning Model

Every group, every three months, is given budgets of varying amounts in each the following categories: Cultural Discovery, Environment, Healthy Life Style, Second Languages and Leadership. This money is spent in ways that correspond to program's learning objectives. The goal of the program's educational component is to build the capacities of participants in the following key areas:

• Interact with others in a variety of situations
• Adopt an open attitude towards the diversity of social and multicultural realities
• Communicate in both official languages
• Engage in diverse work experiences
• Apply habits that favor a healthy lifestyle
• Develop an integrated vision of environmental protection and sustainable development
• Engage as a citizen
• Prepare to integrate, as a citizen, into the job market, school or other life event

Partner Organizations

Katimavik volunteers work on a regular basis with Katimavik's community partners, which are charities and not-for-profit organizations that need volunteers to realize their projects and typically benefit marginalized and vulnerable social groups.

Katimavik has also signed partnerships with a number of postsecondary institutions in Canada, including Vancouver Island University, Capilano University, Quebec's public community colleges (CEGEP), and George Brown College in order for Katimavik participants to receive post-secondary credit for their experiences.

External Links

• Katimavik official site
• Katimavik Alumni Database
• Katimavik's Official Myspace Site
• Katimavik's Official Recruitment Website
• Katimavik is hiring Project Leaders
• Katimavik's Independent Ombudsman