CCA to send Canadian interns overseas

 
Ottawa, May 20, 2015

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) will be continuing its international internship program through a new $465,815 two-year agreement announced by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), May 12, 2015.

In this new program, CCA will mobilise 26 interns (13 each year) to six countries: Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda.  Interns will be placed with CCA partner co-operatives, with a focus on increasing food security and stimulating sustainable economic growth in these countries.  Interns will assist local partner co-operatives and their members to undertake agricultural activities to meet food and income needs, including financing and operating small and medium-sized enterprises.   A new component of the program is a collaboration with Rooftops Canada, the international development program of Canada's co-operative and social housing organizations. Eight interns will be placed with CCA partners in this sector over the next two years. 


This new program will be the 17th continuous year of international internships for CCA, having already sent over 160 interns to work with partner co-operatives in countries around the world. 

"We are very pleased to receive the support of the Government of Canada to continue this exciting initiative, which is a key part of our work with our global network of co-op partners" says CCA executive director, Michael Casey, "through this program, we have been able to provide young Canadians with a unique and enriching life experience in international development." 


CCA's involvement with DFATD's International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) focuses on the professional development of young Canadians and understands their role as an important part of international development.  CCA offers young graduates the work experience they need to secure good jobs - in Canada or abroad. It also provides them with an opportunity to understand the culture and context of developing nations - making them more informed development practitioners. Young men and women also bring new ideas, innovations and enthusiasm towards reaching a fair and equitable world. 

International youth internships consist of a minimum six-month period.   To qualify, Canadian youth must be between the ages of 19 - 30, and be post-secondary graduates of a degree or diploma program in a university, college, post-secondary school of technology, post-secondary institute or CEGEP (General and Vocational College).  

The first group of CCA interns will be sent this fall,  calls for applications will occur soon.
Visit CCA's website for information. www.coopscanada.coop

 

For more information on DFATD's IYIP program visit their website here.

 

CANADIAN CO-OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a not-for-profit co-operative with a mission to establish and grow co-operatives internationally that build a better world.  CCA delivers programs for the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada (CDF) and other organizations which help communities fight poverty and create more secure lives through community-owned co-ops.

 

To achieve this mission, CCA works closely with Canadian co-operatives and credit unions to share their knowledge and experience to partner organizations and co-operatives in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean.

 

For more information, visit  www.coopscanada.coop.

 

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