Youth in Partnership Program

We are not currently accepting applications for the Youth in Partnership (YIP) program. Please check back in late Spring 2012 for details of any future opportunities with this program. Those interested in international youth internships are also encouraged to subscribe to RSS Feeds on the CIDA website (http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/rssfeeds)

Since 1997, the Coady International Institute's Youth in Partnership program has provided opportunities for recent Canadian graduates to gain experience working overseas with development organizations in their area of expertise, to help them increase their understanding of development issues and participate as global citizens. The program is also designed to provide experience that will improve participants' employment opportunities when they return from their internship.

The youth associates work for six months with one of the Coady International Institute's partners in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Youth in Partnership program is one of the most reputable programs of this kind in the country, particularly for the outstanding support provided to the youth associates and their families.

To prepare them for their overseas work experience, youth associates participate in a pre-departure orientation program at the Coady Institute. The Youth in Partnership program is unique in terms of what it offers the participants who are preparing for a work placement overseas. During the in-Canada portion of the program, youth associates have access to:

Coady Institute staff members, who represent a collection of experienced and dedicated development professionals
community leaders from around the world (attendees of the Coady Institute's Diploma in Development Leadership program) who share their residence and classrooms with the associates prior to their departure
a comprehensive pre-departure orientation program.
a thorough re-entry and debriefing program upon their return to Canada.

The re-entry and debriefing program is specifically aimed at helping associates find long-term employment in their fields of specialization. In addition, they undertake a number of public engagement activities to share their experiences with the Canadian public.

The Coady Youth in Partnership program is funded through the Canadian International Development Agency - International Youth Internship Program (CIDA-IYIP).

Meet the current cohort of Coady Youth Associates and see what they had to say before they commenced their placements.

Interested in hearing the experiences of past youth associates?

Listen to a podcast with Sarah Anderson, a 2010-11 youth associate in Rwanda. She was interviewed by Coady media and communications officer Richard Perry. Runs 6:12. (MP3 format)

As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, we asked past YIP and other youth associates to share with us in 50 seconds the impact that their internship experience had on them. To hear their stories please visit our Coady Youth in 50 site at http://www.coady.stfx.ca/youth/vid/.