What are Youth Action Projects?
Introduced in 2001, Youth Action Grants provide support, funding and encouragement for young people to turn their ideas into action. Each year, grants of up to $2,500 are awarded to groups of 13-19 year olds for hands-on projects they feel will make our community a better place to live. Funding recommendations are made by the Youth Action Panel, and all projects are sponsored by a registered charity.
Youth Action Grants
Youth Action Grants November 2009:
| Project | Sponsor Organization |
| Day of Pink (Ottawa) | Jer's Vision: Canada's Youth Diversity Initiative |
| Embrace | MASC: Connecting Artists and Learning |
| Fitness Club: Engaging Youth to be Physically Active | Osgoode Township High School |
| Sexual Health Advisory Group Workshop Series | Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa |
| Panoply Literary Journal | Jer's Vision: Canada's Youth Diversity Initiative |
| Sortie familiale de mars | Collège catholique Samuel-Genest |
| TEDxYouthOttawa | Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa |
| Walk of Life II | Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre |
| Woodroffe High School Special Needs Mentoring | Woodroffe High School |
| Youth Infringement Theatre Festival | Ottawa Arts Court Foundation |
| TOTAL funding $18,625 | |
Youth Action Grants March 2010:
| Project | Sponsor Organization |
| Barrhaven Youth Council | Nepean, Rideau, and Osgoode Community Resource Centre |
| Evolve: Leadership Camp | St. Peter Catholic High School |
| FUSE | Nepean High School |
| Ottawa Youth Summer Soccer Program | Catholic Immigration Centre |
| Project Acorn | The Ten Oaks Project |
| Woodroffe High School Special Needs "Fun Day" | Woodroffe High School |
| Youth Ping-pong Club | Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa |
| EdYou Conference | Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa |
| TOTAL funding $18,564 | |
Youth Action Grants: Project Descriptions - November 2009
Day of Pink (Ottawa)
Day of Pink is an awareness campaign designed to encourage students to wear pink for a day - taking a stand against bullying, discrimination and homophobia in schools and the greater community.
$1,625
Embrace
By inviting professional artists into their classrooms, Ottawa Technical Learning Centre students will explore creative ways of tackling school subjects. The visual creations of the students will be exhibited to demonstrate how the arts, learning and trade work can be interconnected.
$1,000
Fitness Club: Engaging Youth to be Physically Active
This project is designed to engage more students to be physically fit by becoming regular "Fitness Club Members" at Osgoode Township High School. By repairing old and buying some new equipment, this project team plans to turn their workout gym into a real "Fitness Club."
$2,000
Sexual Health Advisory Group Workshop Series
This project team plans to provide a monthly series of workshops at Gay Zone, a space provided by the Centretown Community Health Centre in Ottawa. The workshops will include speakers and create engaging activities on a variety of topics for GLBTTQ youth in Ottawa.
$1,950
Panoply Literary Journal
The Panoply Literary Journal is a collection of poems, short fiction and autobiographical works written by youth. The project team plans to distribute to bookstores and public library branches. As well, they plan to organize a reading of their journal, where youth can share their creative works and meet other youth with similar interests.
$1,450
Sortie familiale de mars
This project team organized a fun and educational outing to Montreal over the March Break for families that would not otherwise be able to afford to. The goal of this project was to give an opportunity to students to have wonderful stories and lasting memories that they could bring back and share with their friends.
$1,800
TEDxYouthOttawa
TEDxYouthOttawa was a one-day for-youth-by-youth conference that provided a program of inspiring speakers sharing new ideas, local performing artists and a showcase of informative video presentations.
$1,300
Walk of Life II
This project team held a one-day camp at St. Matthew's High School that promoted multiculturalism in their school and the greater community. The objective was to foster a welcoming environment for diverse cultures by playing fun inclusive activities and showcasing multicultural performances.
$2,500
Woodroffe High School Special Needs Mentoring
The Leadership Class at Woodroffe High School visited five elementary schools and led students in collaborative team play through recreational activities. This project gave special needs students the opportunity to gain invaluable leadership skills and make personal connects with other students.
$2,500
Youth Infringement Theatre Festival
Recognizing that there is a lack of opportunities for younger emerging artists in the community, the Youth Infringement Theatre Festival provided an opportunity for youth to showcase their artistic talents over a one-week period in May.
$2,500
Youth Action Grants: Project Descriptions March 2010
Barrhaven Youth Council
Recogizing that there aren't many affordable recreational opportunities for youth in the Barrhaven area, this project provides a recreational program where youth can connect with other youth and stay physically active through open supervised gym days and a field trip.
$1,560
Evolve: Leadership Camp
This three-day two-night leadership camp has been designed and facilitated by the senior students of St. Peter Catholic High School. In the fall and throughout the school year, participants will be encouraged to get involved in extracurricular activities, clubs and initiatives to make a positive impact on their school and the greater community.
$2,500
FUSE
FUSE is a series of events led by grade twelve students to help integrate and orient Nepean High School's incoming grade nines. The goal is to create a more unified school, and build an encouraging atmosphere for grade nines that will help them feel accepted, secure and have the tools they need to enjoy their high school years to the fullest.
$2,500
Ottawa Youth Summer Soccer Program
Recognizing that there's a lack of affordable recreational activities for immigrant and new Canadian youth in the downtown area, this project team will run a free recreational spring/summer soccer program. The goal is to engage youth, building a sense of belonging, self-confidence, developing cooperation and soccer skills. It will also provide an opportunity for youth to practice their English in a fun and supportive atmosphere.
$920
Project Acorn
Project Acorn is a leadership retreat for youth-by-youth from the LGBTQ communities. Their goal and objectives for this project was to help youth see that artwork and creativity can be an effective way in expressing oneself and can also be used as a tool for leadership and activism.
$2,500
Woodroffe High School Special Needs "Fun Day"
The Leadership Class hosted a "Fun Day" at Woodroffe High School that provided special needs children from many elementary and high schools with the opportunity to participate in organized outdoor activities.
$1,500
Youth Ping-pong Club
This project team has created a ping-pong club for at-risk youth at the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa. This club will provide a safe place for youth to have a positive interactions with other youth and the YSB staff on the weekends.
$2,084
EdYou Conference
This innovative youth-by-youth one-day conference brought together students and educators with the goal of better understanding ways of engaging youth in the classroom, through the use of media and youth engagement strategies, thus helping youth to better succeed in high school.
$5,000
