The Canadian Community Economic Development Network is excited to announce our fourth invitation for organizational members to apply to employ youth through the CreateAction: Inclusive Social Innovation work experience program. Not already a member? Check out how you can join the network (including barrier-free options) by visiting CCEDNet’s membership page.

About CreateAction

The purpose of CreateAction is to provide employment and career-relevant learning opportunities to youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) AND facing barriers to employment. These placements will take place under the terms and conditions of a contribution agreement between the Canadian CED Network and Employment and Social Development Canada as part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. 

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) and the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) are working in partnership to deliver the CreateAction program with funding by Employment and Social Development Canada and with evaluation support from the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation.

All work experience placements will support youth to further their career interests in community economic development, social innovation and/or off-reserve Indigenous service delivery infrastructure and provision of culturally enhanced programs and services to urban Indigenous residents.

This call for proposals is for placements taking place from June 6 to December 2, 2022 (26 weeks). The CreateAction program will provide to youth a wage of $20/hour for 37.5 hours/week. Employers may volunteer to increase their youth's wages at their own expense. The deadline for submitting applications is April 10, 2022 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. 

"The CreateAction program allowed us to create new positions temporarily to see how they fit into our organizational structure, and they both were very successful. We were able to build our capacity to keep these new positions permanently, and the youth in each placement were the perfect fit, so we offered the positions to them, and both accepted. Really grateful for the opportunity CreateAction has provided us to build our capacity."

- Heidi Dixon, Operations Coordinator, First Light St. John's Friendship Centre.

Employers will be selected according to the following criteria:

• commitment to supporting and accommodating the needs of youth facing barriers to employment and a willingness to increase organizational capacity accordingly;
• a commitment to the principle that the CreateAction program is first and foremost a program designed to support youth facing barriers to employment;
• a willingness to hire a youth who is a best fit for the program goals;
• have a position available that aligns with the level of a youth facing barriers to employment, and be willing to adapt the position based on the skills/abilities of the engaged youth;
• commitment and organizational capacity to assist youth with their daily work, providing coaching and career development support;
• geographic diversity (e.g. rural, remote, Indigenous, northern, francophone communities outside of Quebec, and urban disadvantaged communities with recent immigrant populations);
• demonstrated ability to recruit and support people who are Indigenous, Black, racialized, LGBTQ2S+, newcomers to Canada, francophone, and/or live with disability;
• commitment to participate in a peer support network of employers;
• dedication to supporting the youth in leveraging the work experience into full-time employment or study;
• ability to recruit and support youth not in employment, education or training (NEET);
• ability to recruit and support youth from diverse backgrounds with barriers to employment;
• capacity to adequately support skills development for youth, with additional support from the CreateAction partners;
• relevance of proposed work experience to community economic development, social innovation, and/or off-reserve Indigenous service delivery infrastructure and provision of culturally enhanced programs and services to urban Indigenous residents (visit NAFC’s website).

Priority will be given to organizations that provide social supports for adults or youth as part of their mandate (e.g. organizations serving or supporting newcomers, refugees, survivors of violence or people escaping abuse, formerly incarcerated people, and people experiencing/overcoming mental health challenges, substance use disorders, precarious housing, etc).

Employers will:

• offer a meaningful 26-week employment opportunity;
• actively seek out youth candidates from diverse backgrounds with barriers to employment;
• hire a youth who is a best fit for the CreateAction program;
• provide youth with an orientation to the employer;
• develop, at the beginning of the placement, a Learning Plan with youth;
• develop and implement a plan to provide sufficient support services to enable the youth to succeed at their placement;
• provide sufficient resources and time to effectively supervise and mentor work experience youth;
• commit to weekly meetings with youth to support their learning objectives;
• set aside a minimum of:
  • six (6) hours per month for the youth to participate in peer learning activities, and
  • three (3) working days for the youth to participate in an in-person or online learning event. 
• provide, with support from the CreateAction program, career advice, regular feedback and guidance to youth and assist youth in laddering into further career relevant employment or education at the end of the placement;
• provide youth with all reasonably required working materials;
• contact the Canadian CED Network for support and guidance if ever there are issues that you or the youth are experiencing and whenever the youth might be absent from work;
• participate in three (3) or more employer national virtual sessions with the Canadian CED Network and other selected organizations;
• work with the CreateAction program evaluators on evaluation related activities, such as activities involved with a midterm check-in and a final evaluation;
• identify candidates by May 27, in order for work experience youth to start placements on June 6;
• become a member of the Canadian CED Network after selection, if not already a member.

CreateAction partners (CCEDNet, NAFC and SRDC) will:

• pay youth directly at a rate of $20/hour (though employers are welcome to top up the amount) and cover MERCs (mandatory employment related costs);
• assist employers with the necessary advice and support to carry out the activities and realize the objectives of the program;
• provide, in concert with employers, tailored wraparound supports for youth including supporting the capacity of employers in their ability to provide social supports for youth;
• provide a robust peer learning and mentoring program for work experience youth's ongoing professional development for the duration of the placement;
• coordinate weekly drop-in video conference calls for youth to learn, share experiences, and to network;
• host a virtual platform (Slack) for youth to connect and share experiences throughout the CreateAction program;
• coordinate three (3) video conference calls for employers to share experiences and to network;
• work with employers to offer mediation support or resolve disputes arising with work experience youth;
• work closely with employers in the event of crisis or conflict with work experience placement, including any decision to terminate the work experience placement as a last resort;
• conduct baseline, end of placement, and 3-month follow-up surveys with youth and an end of placement survey for employers to monitor progress, track youth learning, and capture youth outcomes, career expectations and satisfaction.

To participate in the CreateAction program, eligible youth must be:

• not in education, employment or training (NEET); 
• a youth experiencing barriers to employment;
• between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at start of placement;
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protected persons as defined by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
• legally entitled to work in Canada;
• legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.

How to apply?

Complete an application online here

If you require an offline application, please contact Matthew Thompson at the coordinates below. The deadline for submitting applications is April 10, 2022, at 11:59pm Pacific Time. 

Youth interested in the program should apply directly to the employers.

For more information, please contact Matthew Thompson, Director of Engagement at createaction@ccednet-rcdec.ca.