The Canadian CED Network is Proud to Announce the Return of CreateAction!
How does it work?
Eligible work experience placements may include project management, participatory research, communications, social entrepreneurship, business planning, social marketing, CED financing and asset mapping, to name a few. A special focus for this intake will be on building capacity and sustainability of innovative community enterprises and supporting the development of new community enterprises. For examples of CED work experience placements from the previous intake, click here.
The Canadian CED Network requires host organizations to be members of the Canadian CED Network or to become members once their applications for hosting work experience participants are approved. For information about being a member, click here.
The Canadian CED Network will select the host organizations according to the following criteria:
- relevance of proposed work experience to the community enterprise focus and to community economic development (for the Canadian CED Network’s definition of CED, click here);
- commitment and organizational capacity to assist participants with their daily work, mentoring and career development;
- geographic diversity (e.g. rural, remote, Aboriginal, northern, francophone communities outside of Quebec, and urban disadvantaged communities with recent immigrant populations);
- track record in hosting work experience placements, students or interns;
- dedication to leveraging the work experience into full-time employment or study for the participant;
- ability to recruit participants from diverse backgrounds.
The Canadian CED Network will:
- manage the CED Work Experience Program;
- employ participants at $15.00 an hour for a total of 35 hours a week for 25 weeks, including participant Mandatory Employment Related Costs or statutory benefits;
- coordinate monthly intern teleconference calls to share experiences and to network;
- provide peer learning and mentoring opportunities to the participants to support the development and implementation of a presentation project with a sub-group of their peers related to a specific aspect of social enterprise development relevant to their interest and placement
- contribute ongoing career coaching and employment related support to the participants.
Host organizations will:
- supervise the work experience participant;
- contribute to the work experience participant’s learning opportunities;
- contribute ongoing career coaching and employment related support to the participants;
- allow the work experience participant to spend approximately one day per week to work on their presentation project;
- support the development of the participant’s presentation project by integrating the work of the organization into the project.
To be eligible to participate in this program youth must be:
- between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the time of intake/selection;
- a post-secondary institute, college, university or CEGEP graduate;
- out of school;
- a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee status has been conferred;
- legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations;
- not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) benefits;
- can demonstrate a lack of labour market attachment to field of study (under-employed or unemployed);
- can demonstrate that working in the field of community economic development is a career goal; and
- has not previously participated in a Career Focus work experience placement.
How to apply?
Youth interested in the program may submit an application to the Canadian CED Network or may apply directly to the host organizations. The successful host organizations will be announced on the Canadian CED Network’s website.
For more information and to submit your application, please contact Matthew Thompson at mthompson at ccednet-rcdec.ca or 416-760-2578.
