|
|
|
The Origin of the Canada Service Corps In the spring of 2002 Canada25 members selected Cities as the policy focus for 2002 and held a series of roundtable discussions that focused on the question “How can we make Canadian cities engines of development and magnets for talent?” In June 2002, 350 Canadians, aged 20-35, contributed ideas in 11 roundtable discussions in Canada and abroad, and in July 25 delegates assembled at the National Forum for a more in-depth discussion of the issues. One of the common themes that emerged during these discussions was the value of civic engagement. Through these discussions, we heard that young Canadians are interested in contributing their skills and energy to strengthen Canada’s cities, but they feel they lack manageable opportunities to make meaningful contributions. The idea to create a nationwide fellowship program that would enable young Canadians to serve their communities grew out of this discussion and became one of the key recommendation of Canada25’s first major policy paper Building Up: Making Canada’s Cities Magnets for Talent and Engines of Development From Ideas to Action In early 2003 the Canada25 leadership team decided to expand activities beyond policy generation to idea implementation. “Building Up” was shared with Canada25 members, sponsors and leaders in all sectors, receiving broad support and generating particular interest in Canada Service Corps, At the national leadership retreat, Canada Service Corps was chosen as the first initiative for implementation by Canada25. In June 2003, Margot Johnston was selected as a full-time project manager to lead program development for 6 months and a team of 25 volunteers, from across Canada and US, was assembled to push the concept into action. Phase I: Identifying Our Niche (August-October 2003) The first phase of the Canada Service Corps project involved extensive research on the needs of non-profit organizations and the interests of young Canadians aged 20 - 35. In addition, existing civic engagement and community involvement opportunities available to young Canadians were reviewed and gaps were examined. Through this research we confirmed that today’s young Canadians are very interested in becoming more engaged in the voluntary sector but that their greatest barriers to participation are access to meaningful roles and time in which to fulfill those roles. In addition, we found that non-profit organizations are currently suffering from a shortage of human resources and are largely interested in securing sustained, long-term volunteers to fill roles in their organizations. Finally, while we found that there are a number of volunteer programs either they are targeted to a different age demographic or they are focused on only one particular discipline or skill set. As a result of this research we found that the Canada Service Corps is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of non-profit organizations while filling a gap in the service opportunities available to young Canadians. Phase II: Designing the Program (September-December 2003) During this period, the insights generated from the research phase were used to design a program that meets the needs of all of its stakeholders – including Canada25 members, young Canadians, non-profit organizations and public and private sector supporters. These plans are currently being refined through ongoing dialogue with these stakeholders, to ensure their support. Phase III (January 2004 – ongoing) The Canada Service Corps Development Team is currently in the final phase of program development working to refine the program and organizational structure, develop a communications strategy and seek partners for the launch of the pilot in early 2005. If you are interested in how you or your organization can help support this exciting new initiative, or if you would simply like more information on the program please contact Katie Havercroft, Program Director, Canada Service Corps. Service Corps Program Development Volunteer Opportunities We are always on the look out for new volunteers to help in the development and implementation of the Canada Service Corps program. Below are a number of opportunities that we are currently recruiting for. If you are interested in applying for one of these positions or have other skills and abilities that you would like to share with the Canada Service Corps please contact Katie Havercroft, Program Director Canada Service Corps
We are currently looking for a professional lawyer with knowledge of the charitable or non-profit sectors to act in the capacity of legal advisor to the program development team. Responsibilities will include providing legal advice on the program development, working with other volunteers to develop and review contracts, terms of employment and governance and oversight structures. This role would likely require a commitment of approximately 3-5 hours a week. We are currently looking for a volunteer with experience in web site development to create and manage the program’s on-line tools. Responsibilities will include development and maintenance of the programs web site, creation of an interactive, on-line application process and development of an on-line community to connect participating organizations and fellows. This role would likely require a commitment of approximately 5-7 hours per week. |
|
|