The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) and the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) are pleased to announce their partnership for the 10th incarnation of the CreateAction program. 

Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada, with evaluation support from the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation, CCEDNet and NAFC will work in collaboration with host organizations across the country to provide youth experiencing barriers to employment with a relevant, peer-supported, paid work experience placement. 

Over the course of the next three years, community-based organizations and provincial-territorial associations from both networks will be recruited to host a total of 100 work experience participants for the equivalent of 26-week paid work experience placements. 

The first cohort of 25 participants will take part in work experience placements starting January 11, 2021, with Host Organizations for the first cohort determined by the end of November. The second cohort of 25 participants will take part in work experience placements starting June 21, 2021, with Host Organizations for the second cohort determined by the end of April.

How does CreateAction work?

As project partners, NAFC and CCEDNet will select host organizations, who in turn will hire youth participants according to job-specific placements. Host organizations will be supported by the project partners with wrap-around supports and peer mentorship to facilitate high quality work experience placements for youth.

Eligible work experience placements will provide young people facing barriers to employment with meaningful jobs in the community, support employment skills development, and create opportunities for youth to build their capacity. Click here here for examples of placements from the previous intake.

Ready to Become Part of CreateAction?

Learn about how to become a Host Organization

The next deadline for submitting applications is April 9, 2021.

If you are a young person interested in joining the program for a work experience placement, please stay tuned!

About NAFC

The National Association of Friendship Centres is a network of over 100 Friendship Centres and Provincial/Territorial Associations from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

The Friendship Centre Movement is the country’s most significant off-reserve Indigenous service delivery infrastructure. For over half a century Friendship Centres have helped urban Indigenous people access the vital services they need to succeed in urban settings across Canada. Friendship Centres understand the challenges facing our communities and their unique “wrap-around” service delivery model ensures we are well equipped to tackle them.

Across the country, Friendship Centres provide culturally appropriate services for Indigenous people living in urban centres and have become a place for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to come together, to share traditions and to learn from one another.

About CCEDNet

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) is a national member-led organization committed to strengthening Canadian communities by creating economic opportunities that enhance social and environmental conditions.

Community Economic Development (CED) is action by people locally to create economic opportunities that improve social conditions, particularly for those who are most disadvantaged. CED is an approach that recognizes that economic, environmental and social challenges are interdependent, complex and ever-changing.

To be effective, solutions must be rooted in local knowledge and led by community members. CED promotes holistic approaches, addressing individual, community and regional levels, recognizing that these levels are interconnected.