Katimavik, Canada’s leading national youth volunteer program, gives Canadians between 17 and 21 years old the unique opportunity to take part in an intensive 6 month volunteer service program.

As a Katimavik volunteer, you will work for not-for-profit organizations that play an important role in the development of Canadian communities. While on the program, you will live with 10 other young people in two different regions of the country. Katimavik allows you to gain valuable work experience, develop a variety of competencies through experiential learning, and discover new places while making a difference in communities across Canada.

 6 month theme programs

For six months you will volunteer in two communities across Canada and benefit from a stimulating learning process that focuses on developing competencies related to civic engagements, work experience, interpersonal relations, healthy lifestyle, cultural discovery, official languages and environmental stewardship.

Cultural Discovery and Civic Engagement

For six months you will 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 you the opportunity to thoroughly acquire an understanding of the important ecological challenges in the Canadian communities where you will be located while participating in volunteer initiatives that promote environmental stewardship. Over the course of six months, you will obtain an in-depth knowledge and fully integrate in one Canadian community outside your home province where you will apply the principles of eco-citizenship, exercise a culture of active living and put into practice the elements of a healthy lifestyle that put you in touch with nature through physical and outdoor activities. Get out there and be active in an environmentally responsible fashion during weeklong outdoor expeditions which focus on the discovery and sustainability of your host region!

Second Language and Cultural Identity

For six months you will volunteer in two communities: one Anglophone community in Western Canada and one Francophone community in Québec. This unique opportunity gives volunteers the chance to be immersed in an intense linguistic and cultural experience while engaging in meaningful volunteer service. Volunteers will also have the chance to stay with host families in each community in order to better understand the reality of their adopted region.

Katimavik means “meeting place” in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people.

Jacques Hébert (1923-2007) founded Katimavik in 1977 to foster personal and professional development within youth and help them gain a better understanding of Canadian diversity through community service.

Katimavik receives financial support from the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.

During the 2010-2011 program year, a total of 92 groups, each consisting of 11 volunteers, will be engaging in volunteer projects with over 600 partner organizations across Canada.

Katimavik pays the large majority of program costs, including:

• Transportation
• Housing
• Food and basic necessities
• Program activities

Katimavik volunteers also receive a 3 dollar a day living allowance.

In order to volunteer for Katimavik, you must contribute:

• A $35 non-refundable application fee.
• A $150 non-refundable participation fee once you are officially accepted to Katimavik. This fee covers accident insurance, your criminal record check and other administrative costs. 
• A $350 travel deposit once officially accepted to Katimavik. You will be reimbursed this amount when you successfully complete the program. Volunteers who quit the program or are asked to leave the program for violation of the behavioural standards will not be reimbursed the $350.

No. Katimavik is an intensive program in which you will be doing volunteer service full-time during the day and engaging in competency development and activities in the community during evenings and weekends. However, you can follow correspondence courses and receive school credits for them if you apply or already attend a postsecondary institution that has partnered with Katimavik (see Programs Section – School Credits).

You will have four blocks of free time per week.

Complete the 5 steps to get you on your way ("Applicants" section of our Web site).

1. Get informed
   Before beginning your application, learn more about the unique experience you've been waiting for!
2. Tell us about yourself
   Fill out the personal information form to get the application process started. 
3. Indicate your availability
   Indicate your availability to volunteer for Katimavik. 
4. Complete your applicant file
   Ready to start collecting some information and documents for your file in real time on Katimaroute. Once you are logged in to Katimaroute, follow the instructions on how to complete your application. There will be certain forms to fill out on-line and others to print, complete and mail back to Katimavik. Only candidates that have completed the volunteer questionnaire, paid the application fee and provided Katimavik with identification proving their eligibility will be considered for selection. Please allow 4 to 8 weeks for your application to be processed once we have received all your documents. 
5. From selection to participation
   All you need to know before your departure for Katimavik.

Katimavik offers all Canadians between the ages of 17 and 21 an opportunity to participate in the program. Volunteers come from every region of the country and represent Canada’s contemporary socio-cultural reality.

To be eligible for selection, you must:

• Be between 17 and 21 years of age on the first day of the program
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be in good health (a medical form must be filled out and approved by Katimavik before you can be accepted)
• Meet the requirements of a criminal record check (a BackCheck form must be completed by all selected candidates)

No, you must be 17 to 21 years old on the day you start the program to be eligible. However, if you’re currently 16, but will turn 17 by the time the program starts, you can still apply.

Complete the application process and keep track of your file on Katimaroute

Only applicants who have completed the volunteer questionnaire, submitted the copies of their identification document and proof of citizenship and/or permanent residence and paid the application fee will be eligible for selection.

Volunteers will be selected 4 to 5 months before the program start date. Once a candidate has been selected, acceptance is conditional to the approval of the selected candidate’s medical evaluation by Katimavik’s medical team.

Katimavik is required to respect specific criteria when is comes to selecting candidates for all programs. Each Katimavik house needs to replicate Canada’s geographic landscape.

Here is a breakdown of the socio-demographic conditions in play:

• Geographic provenance of volunteers
• 45/55 Male/female ratio
• Quotas on visible minorities 
• Quotas on aboriginal volunteers

Once all demographic conditions are met, various rounds of selection take place. If the number of eligible candidates does not meet the above-mentioned conditions, more than one round can take place per departure date. Each round is performed at a fixed date.

Candidate selection will be made on:

April 1, 2010 for the September 8, 2010 departure
September 1, 2010 for the January 5, 2011 departures
March 1, 2011 for the July 6, 2011 departures

Candidates can be selected, put on a waiting list or not selected. Each candidate is informed of their status within 48-72 hours following a round of selection.

Deadlines to submit your volunteer questionnaire, identification documents and payment of application fee to become eligible:

August 16, 2010 for the January 5, 2011 departures
February 15, 2011 for the July 6, 2011 departures

2010-2011 PROGRAM YEAR

 6 month theme programs

Cultural Discovery and Civic Engagement

January 5, 2011 to June 22, 2011
July 6, 2011 to December 16, 2011

Eco-citizenship and Active Living

January 5, 2011 to June 22, 2011
July 6, 2011 to December 16, 2011

Second Language and Cultural Identity

January 5, 2011 to June 22, 2011
July 6, 2011 to December 16, 2011  

Katimavik offers all Canadians between the ages of 17 and 21 an equal opportunity to participate in the program. Candidate selection is done randomly and according to the socio-demographic criteria among the candidates who complete the applicant file (Step 4).

Candidates placed on the waiting list will be informed as such. Being on the waiting list implies that they can be asked to join a group if someone with a similar demographic profile has decided to drop out before the beginning of the program or leave during the first six weeks of the program.

These candidates can also decide to become eligible for other programs without it affecting their status on the waiting list. In the event of their selection for another program, the candidate is taken out of the waiting list of the program for which they first became eligible.  

Non-selected candidates are informed of their status and offered the possibility to become eligible for other Katimavik programs.

The following people cannot be accepted to the Katimavik program:

• Anyone completing a sentence.
• Minors who are currently in a youth centre on court order under terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. 
• Anyone awaiting a judgment or against whom a charge has been laid or may be pending. 
• Anyone who has committed an offence of a sexual nature or an immoral act, as well as offences against an individual or their reputation.

If you have a criminal record but are not in the above-mentioned categories, you can be accepted to the program if you have completed all sentences linked to your conviction.

Katimavik has a team of doctors who examine medical forms on a case-by-case basis. All medical information remains confidential since only the medical team can access this part of your application.

Your physical, mental and emotional health will be considered in the evaluation process. Your acceptance into the program also depends on how your medical condition may affect your participation and to what extent we can accommodate it.

If Katimavik cannot accept your application for medical reasons, you can re-apply the following year, as long as you still meet the age requirement and your health has stabilized.

Katimavik does not base selection on personal information. One of Katimavik’s main objectives is to introduce volunteers to different lifestyles and cultures. The most important thing is that volunteers be ready and willing to communicate openly in a tolerant, respectful way.

Though you cannot choose exactly where you will travel or in which provinces you will live, you are bound to discover Canada’s unique cultural, social and geographic diversity.

Since groups are put together randomly and each group is made up of volunteers from different regions, you chances of being in the same group as a friend are highly improbable.

Once you have been selected, your acceptance is conditional until the medical dossier is approved by Katimavik. You must also complete a Backcheck criminal record check application two to three months before your departure and the results must meet Katimavik’s standards. Then only a few formalities are necessary to confirm your acceptance: return the confirmation of participation form, the insurance form and the photo release form fully completed.

In order to commit to Katimavik, all volunteers must contribute a non-reimbursable $150 participation fee. The fee covers the cost of accident insurance, the BackCheck criminal record check and other various costs. In addition to the participation fee, you must provide Katimavik with a $350 deposit. The deposit will be returned to you upon completion of the program. If you choose to leave or are dismissed from the program, the deposit will not be returned to you.

Once your acceptance has been confirmed, Katimavik will send you information to help you prepare for your departure. At that time, you’ll learn the names of your host communities. A three-week probation period will begin once you arrive. During this time, the project leader and project coordinator will evaluate your capacity to adapt and integrate. Sometimes, volunteers and Katimavik realize that they aren’t right for each other. Therefore, volunteers may choose or be asked to leave the program. During the first six weeks of the program, these volunteers will be replaced by applicants on the waiting list. After these six weeks, no new volunteers will join the group.

You will be very busy during Katimavik, engaging in volunteer work, integrating into the host community and developing an array of competencies. Twenty-eight to thirty-five hours a week are spent doing volunteer work projects. Workshops and activities in the house of the community are organized in the evenings so that volunteers can meet the various competency objectives.

A successful experience in the program mainly depends on you. As a member of the group, you are responsible for participating in all activities and adhering to the program’s behavioural standards.

Volunteers live with their Project Leader in a house or apartment rented by Katimavik. The project leader will have their own bedroom, but the volunteers share rooms. However, men and women always sleep in separate bedrooms.

In each rotation of the Classic and Second Language program, volunteers will stay with a host family for 9 to 14 days in order better understand the culture of their new host communities. In the Eco-Citizenship and Cultural Discovery programs, volunteers will be staying with a host family during at least one of the two rotations.

Katimavik groups reflect the socio-demographics of Canadian society and are usually made up of 50% young men and 50% young women as well as a certain percentage of visible minorities and aboriginal volunteers. 70% of a group is composed of Anglophones while the remaining 30% are French speaking.

A typical group would be composed of the following members:

• 1 billingual Project Leader from anywhere in the country
• 1 volunteer from British-Columbia or Yukon 
• 2 volunteers from the Prairies, North West Territories or Nunavut 
• 4 volunteers from Ontario 
• 3 volunteers from Québec 
• 1 volunteer from a maritime province (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador)

A Project Leader lives with the volunteers and is supervised by a Project Coordinator who lives nearby. The Project Leader is responsible for implementing the competency framework, supervising participants, managing projects, and developing and maintaining positive relations with the work partners and the host community.

Project Leaders have a university degree and/or experience working with young adults. They have an extensive understanding of youth-related issues, volunteer service and alternative education, and possess excellent facilitation, communication, leadership, organization and stress management skills.

Volunteers are allowed to leave the project 2 or 3 times, depending on the length of the program, for a period of 48 hours. Leaves for special circumstances can be approved by Katimavik’s regional director, but Volunteers must pay their own travel expenses. During the holiday season, volunteers must stay with the group and participate in activities in the host community.

Katimavik volunteers are allowed to have family or friends visit if the Project Leader and the rest of the group agree to the visit. The Project Leader may limit the number of visitors and the frequency of visits depending on group safety, how much space is available in the house, the schedule and how the visit may affect planned activities.

Volunteers may go out at night as long as they comply with the curfew set by Katimavik and respect the behavioural standards.

Depending on the house or apartment that Katimavik rents, between two and seven people share a bedroom.

Yes, men and women sleep separately.

All houses have a computer with internet access. The computer is mainly reserved for the project leader’s use, but volunteers will also have access for e-mailing and program-related use. Chatting (ICQ and chat rooms), instant messaging (MSN), downloading files and using web cams is prohibited.

Before you leave, a Departure Guide will be available in the “Documents” section of Katimaroute. One of the many points that will be addressed is what to pack. Basic personal care products (soap, toothpaste, shampoo, feminine hygiene products, etc.) are provided by Katimavik. The products we provide are generic brands. If you prefer a specific brand, we encourage you to bring your own products. You will be responsible for personal expenses such as long-distance calls, souvenirs and clothing.

No, pets are not allowed at Katimavik.

Musical instruments are welcome in the projects, as long as there is room for them and they do not disturb the group’s well-being. Keep in mind that skis and snowboards could be a burden to you during transportation days. There is also no guarantee that you will be placed near a ski hill, and there may not be room in the house to store equipment of this type.

Katimavik’s community partner organizations offer a variety of work projects in the areas of social services, the environment, poverty reduction, arts and culture as well as sports and leisure.

Here are some examples of current work projects that are making a tremendous difference for others:

• Social and humanitarian work with the elderly, the mentally handicapped and the underprivileged
• Involvement in sustainable development projects: landscaping, recycling used materials, environmental protection awareness activities 
• Working on administrative projects: archiving, Web site development, organizing events

Community partner organizations are non-profit organizations throughout the country which endorse our mission. They may be municipal, community, social, environmental or recreational organizations. Partners benefit from participants’ support to carry out community projects. The number of partners may vary from one community to another.

Projects must offer the volunteer an opportunity to learn and acquire professional skills. Projects must be different within the community so that a variety of experiences is possible. Work sites must take appropriate safety measures. The host community must be able to provide enough medical and educational resources and have a large enough population for participants to billet with local families.

There’s no “school work” during the program with the exception of volunteers who benefit from school credits (see Programs Section – School Credits). However, Katimavik has developed a competency framework to help volunteers get the most out of their program. The competency approach is a structured educational process that allows volunteers to acquire new competencies through experiential learning. These competencies will prepare them for future roles as workers and active citizens.

The 8 Katimavik competencies are:

• To interact with others in a variety of situations
• To adopt an open attitude towards the diversity of social and multi-cultural realities 
• To communicate in both official languages 
• To engage in diverse work experiences 
• To apply habits that favor a healthy lifestyle 
• To develop an integrated vision of environmental protection and sustainable development 
• To engage as a citizen 
• To prepare to integrate, as a citizen, into the job market, school or other life event.

Katimavik’s competency framework allows volunteers to reflect on what it means to work as a team and cooperate in a group environment. Aside from formal workshops on subjects such as problem solving, conflict resolution and interpersonal communication, your interactions at the workplace, in the community, with your host family and within the group will allow you to develop valuable communication abilities that you will find helpful in everyday life and especially in future jobs and post-secondary programs.

Canada is a huge country consisting of ten provinces and three territories with two official languages and many minority populations. Since Katimavik volunteers come from a variety of different socio-demographic contexts, volunteers will have the chance to experience first hand the challenges and rewards of living in a diverse environment. As well, each host community will have its own set of values and culture. Volunteers will be observing cultural differences and adopting open attitudes towards social and multicultural realities.

In all Katimavik programs, there will be a mix of French and English speaking participants in the groups. Program activities will take place in both languages, and participants will be expected to make an effort to learn and speak their second language and establish a climate of mutual assistance between native English and French speakers. All volunteers will receive formal Second Language training, and all Katimavik computers are equipped with an interactive language learning program called Tell Me More.

Although Katimavik ensures a wide range of work opportunities in each community, we cannot guarantee that you will be placed with an organization that will be closely related to your future career. However, it is important to remember that engaging in a variety of work experiences will help you build a solid set of competencies that will be an asset to any future workplace. You will learn competencies such as the ability to organize, communicate effectively, work as a team, responsibility, punctuality and flexibility no matter where you are placed. Also, past volunteers have reported discovering new passions by volunteering in a sector they never imagined they would enjoy. Sometimes, trying something new can change your life completely.

Healthy lifestyle is a term used to encompass many different elements of living healthy and is not restricted to just food. Although there will be a focus on planning and preparing nutritious meals, healthy lifestyle also means carrying out daily activities in a way that favors physical, emotional and sexual health while promoting physical activity, recreation and open-mindedness towards new living habits.

One of the most common and widely accepted definitions of sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (Bruntland report, 1987). In Katimavik, there will be a focus on adopting ecologically responsible behaviour (the 3 R’s), being aware of consumption habits and participating in environmental initiatives in the host community.

Civic engagement relates to taking an active interest in the community and engaging with social issues. During Katimavik, volunteers will be engaged with their work placements and in the community at large. Volunteers will be investigating concepts such as solidarity, democracy, active citizenship and pacifism.

Throughout your entire participation in Katimavik and through each of the eight competencies, you will be collecting valuable knowledge that will help you make sound decisions about your future path. You will also be compiling a portfolio of reference letters and learning accomplishments. You will also learn practical skills like how to actively research the labour market, write an effective cover letter and a winning resume.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you : obtain school credits by following correspondence courses while participating in one of Katimavik’s programs (see Programs Section – School Credits).

The standards aim to help you find practical solutions to behaviours that could interfere with group dynamics and your own experience. This process exists so that you may successfully complete the program and increase your personal development. Proper application of these standards includes a system of warnings, ranging from a verbal warning to final dismissal. All of this will be explained to you in detail during program orientation.

Behavioural standards are divided into 3 categories:

1. Respect
   This category is based on 3 levels: “I respect myself”, “I respect others through my words and actions” and “I respect my environment and community”.
2. Participation
   Your level of participation may have repercussions on several of the program’s components, such as your learning process, or the partner organizations where you volunteer. 
3. Health and safety
   Your health and safety are our main concerns and represent the basic conditions needed to reach our educational objectives and ensure that your experience remains positive.

Therefore, because of the reasons and limitations mentioned previously, the Katimavik program has a few specific restrictions. For example, it is forbidden to hitchhike during your project, consume alcohol within Katimavik houses, and break any municipal, provincial and federal laws.

The probation period starts as soon as you begin the program and lasts 3 weeks. During this time, we will evaluate your health, as well as your ability to adapt to the program and group life. This period and its application will be explained to you by Katimavik personnel during program orientation.