Youth action internship program
The 2012-2013 Youth action interships are now available!
Participation Criteria
Context
Objectives
Features
Training
Qualifications required
Conditions
How to apply
List of Interships
Participation Criteria
- be between the ages of 19 and 30, inclusively, at the official beginning of the internship in Canada;
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and legally entitled to work in Canada;
- be a post-secondary graduate (degree or diploma from a university, college, post-secondary school of technology, post-secondary institute or a CÉGEP (Collège d’enseignement géneral et professionnel, Québec only);
- be out of school (that is, you must not have courses, coop-terms or theses left to complete to satisfy your current degree requirements);
- be ready to begin your professional career;
- be unemployed or underemployed;
- never have had a previous paid, career-related, international work experience;
- not have previously participated in an international internship of the Youth Employment Strategy (YES) program;
- share part of the program costs through fund-raising, for an amount of $250.
Context
Part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, this program gives young Canadian graduates aged 19 to 30 the opportunity to spend six months overseas on a shared-cost professional internship. It is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
This professional internship program is targeted towards new graduates in the areas of: communication, marketing, commercialisation, management, social work, education, health, nutrition, sexology, environment or any other related areas.
Objectives
This professional internship program aims to give young Canadians an outstanding work experience where they gain valuable professional skills towards career advancement while empowering base organizations in developing countries.
The program also aims to increase youth participation in international cooperation and humanitarian aid.
Features
The internships take place within Oxfam-Québec and its youth division, CLUB 2/3, partner organizations. Assignments may be with international agencies, non-profit organizations, community organizations, foundations or in the public and private sectors.
All interns have a specific mandate, determined by the local partner organization in collaboration with Oxfam-Québec. The internship mandates involve professional activities related to the economic and social areas.
The program provides logistical, administrative and technical support to interns and partner organizations. The interns are supervised by Oxfam-Québec representatives and volunteers stationed in the country.
Training
Training and evaluation activities take place throughout the program.
- Pre-departure orientation: prepare logistics, participate in various workshops and inter-cultural learning
- Orientation activities in the field: welcome and familiarize interns with the country
- Evaluations during and at the end of the mandate: internship development and goals achievement
- Personal and professional re-entry activities: maximize learning and encourage reflection, training in job search
Basic qualifications required*
- Relevant college or university degree;
- Ability to work in a team;
- Good resistance to stress;
- Excellent adaptation abilities;
- Interest in international development;
- Good communication skills;
- Good sense of initiative and autonomous;
- Language skills: :
- knowledge of French and/or English;
- be prepared to learn the working language of the internship country (French in Western Africa, Spanish in Latin America);
- knowledge of French (Africa) or Spanish (Latin America) is an asset.
*for specific skills related to each internship, please refer to the internships description.
Conditions
Duration: 6 months
Departure dates: see positions descriptions
Although this is an unpaid internship program, the program entirely covers the following expenses:
- Round trip air fare;
- Visa fees;
- Lodging overseas;
- Food*;
- Local transportation*;
- International medical insurance;
- Some medical and training expenses.
* Interns receive an allowance to cover these expenses overseas.
How to apply
To apply to one of the 2012-2013 internships, please send your cover letter and resume to recrutjeune@oxfam.qc.ca with the title of the internship for which you are applying in the subject line of your email i.e.: Communications Advisor, Honduras.
Internships remain open until filled.
NOTE: Only people selected for an interview will be contacted
