Motivate Canada – Ottawa (ON), March 14, 2016 – Canadian youth have until March 31st, to apply to attend Motivate Canada’s 12th Annual ACTIVATE National Youth Leadership Forum. From May 11-15, 2016, Motivate Canada will host the ACTIVATE 2016 Forum just outside of Ottawa, Ontario at the YMCA Bonnenfant Camp in Dunrobin, Ontario. Youth, aged 16 – 22, from every province and territory, including new immigrant and refugee youth, can apply to be part of ACTIVATE 2016: a yearlong journey that begins with attending the 5-day forum.

Youth can APPLY HERE: http://motivatecanada.ca/en/forums/2217-activate-2016-national

Fifty (50) youth from across the country will be selected to join the program; to develop as leaders and initiators of social change. As a first step, the forum will allow delegates to develop a toolbox of skills that they can bring back to their communities in order to create positive change through sport and physical activity.
For the first time in this history of hosting the national forum, Motivate Canada is recruiting Community Partners; youth serving groups such as schools, community centres, immigration settlement centres, sport clubs and other youth serving groups who will commit to supporting youth from their community for the duration of the program (approximately12 months). Community Partners are guaranteed up to 3 spots for deserving youth from their community to participate in the in the ACTIVATE program.

Interested Community Partners can connect with the ACTIVATE Program Manager by email Dan@motivatecanada.ca or by calling 1-866-378-3361 ext. 227.
Over the course of the ACTIVATE 2016 forum, delegates will participate in a variety of interactive workshops and activities that will celebrate the role of sport in Canada and prepare them to initiate their ACTIVATE in Action project: a sport or recreation project aimed at improving the lives of other youth in their respective communities.

This year’s forum, funded in part by Canadian Heritage, will include sessions on sport for social change, community mapping, and a networking fair where delegates will get the chance to meet with representatives from some of Canada’s leading youth and sport organizations. Sessions are focused around Motivate Canada’s Youth Driven Development (YDD) approach that follows a unique seven-step process which gives youth everything they need to lead a movement of positive change in their communities. Highlights include a workshop on the incorporation of physical literacy into programming for youth and an Amazing Race in which will highlight Canadian History, geography and sport.

The time for youth to act is now! Deadline for applications is March 31, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Thanks to the support of the Government of Canada, program fees are only $600 per selected youth. All other expenses for the forum such as travel, food, and accommodations are coordinated and paid for by Motivate Canada. Registration fees due May 1st.

The forum itself is youth-driven – planned and facilitated by a team of youth volunteers who have participated in the ACTIVATE program and attended a Forum. This year’s leadership team includes youth from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Kyla Crocker, aged 24, returning this year as a Senior Volunteer Youth mentor, says “ACTIVATE was like no other forum I have been to before…it was life changing and I can’t wait to inspire other youth across Canada this year! Spread the ACTIVATE love.”

Since its inception in 2004, the ACTIVATE program has hosted over 26 Leadership Forums at national and regional levels.

About Motivate Canada: Motivate Canada’s Youth-Driven Development approach taps into the natural optimism, energy, curiosity, and adventurous spirit that young people have in abundance. Using the power of sport, physical activity and positive peer role models, Motivate Canada’s three core programs— GEN7, ESTEEM Team and ACTIVATE—give young people the tools, training, and confidence to make a difference in their lives and communities on their own terms. For more information please visit: www.motivatecanada.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Dan Dubeau ACTIVATE Program Manager Motivate Canada Cell: 613-867-0907 Phone: 613-789-3333 ext. 227 or Toll-free:1-866-378-3361 ext. 227 Dan@motivatecanada.ca
Twitter: @MotivateCanada, @ACTIVATEProgram

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MotivateCanada/
https://www.facebook.com/ACTIVATELeadershipProgram