Why suggest Katimavik?

Katimavik offers young people the amazing opportunity to help in community development while learning by doing. We need your help to inform as many youth as possible about our valuable learning through volunteer service programs.

As an educator, young people take your advice to heart when making important life decisions. One of the choices you can introduce to your students is Katimavik.

What are the benefits of Katimavik programs?

• With Katimavik, young Canadians volunteer in community development initiatives across the country and develop valuable employment skills. Canadian programs in this vein are few and far between.
• Katimavik provides volunteers with a structured learning program focused on competency development. Volunteers cultivate skills in the area of civic engagement, healthy lifestyle, official languages, cultural discovery and environmental stewardship.
• Katimavik enables volunteers to set realistic goals and get the most out of their future postsecondary education.

Research shows that students who complete a gap year are more likely to find work faster than those who have not. In addition, the vast majority of Katimavik volunteers return to college or university once they have completed the program.

To consult articles on the benefits of taking a gap year: 

"New UBC students to be judged on more than just grades for admission", The Vancouver Sun, January 23, 2012

"Gap year: Why your kid shouldn’t go to school in the fall", The Globe and Mail, February 18, 2011

What you can you do to help spread the word about Katimavik in your school or organization

Our alumni, field staff and volunteers are available to come visit your establishment to meet your youth and share their Katimavik experience. We encourage you to invite a Katimavik representative to your career days, various thematic activities (volunteer week, multicultural day, youth festival, etc.), to do class presentations or facilitate workshops for your youth. To obtain promotional material or to organise an activity, please fill out the form in the left menu.

If you can't host a Katimavik presentation in your establishment, webinars (online presentations) are now available for youth interested in Katimavik. Invite them to sign up!