Are you a motivated individual between the ages of 15 and 29, eager to boost your professional skills, foster personal development, and play a vital role in shaping Canada’s future? We have an amazing opportunity just for you! The PICS Society presents TWO dynamic youth-led programs with a focus on empowering young individuals with the fundamental skills for workplace success and fostering active civic participation.

About the IYSCorps & IYMSCorps Programs:

The Intercultural Youth Service Corps (IYSCorps) Program is a FREE 17 week program that allows youth living in British Columbia to enhance their skills and gain access to more career opportunities and promote civic engagement. It is a community needs-driven, skills enhancement, and volunteer program that adopts an all-encompassing approach to empower youth throughout BC, offering a diverse array of enriching activities.

They are currently actively recruiting for their upcoming November and December Cohorts. The next cohort starts on November 7th, 2023.

The program begins with a 5-week essential skills training phase, which covers a wide range of valuable skills, including resume writing, financial literacy, stress and time management, leadership and project management, public speaking, and more. Some workshops are facilitated by inspirational guest speakers who are experts in their field.

Following this initial training, participants can choose between personalized volunteer placements or involvement in community-driven projects. Those opting for the latter will receive a microgrant of $1,000 from the Government of Canada to support their projects, which aligns with one of five key themes:

– Reconciliation
– Building an Inclusive Canada
– Environment
– Promoting Civic and Democratic Engagement
– Innovation

Additional program benefits include:
– Complimentary Coursera subscription
– Transportation support in the form of free bus passes
– Additional support for living expenses
– A Certificate of Completion and Reference Letters
– The opportunity to accumulate 120 volunteer hours

Alternatively, if students do not want to participate in the initial 5-week skills training period, they can participate in the Intercultural Youth Microgrant Services Corps (IYMSCorps) program instead. In this program, they would receive a larger microgrant of up to $3000 towards a community driven project, are not required to complete the skills training, but would still be honoured with the 120 hours of volunteering. You can compare the two programs by following the link: https://youthservicecorps.ca/faq/.