Internships will roll out continuously throughout the course of the program which ends in December 2010 based on the needs of the host organizations and availability of interns.

Yes, providing your organization has the internal capacity to manage the positions you outline in your application, you may apply to and host interns placed by both YWCA Canada and the YMCA. Simply indicate that you are applying to both on your online or PDF applications available at www.yeip.ca.

To be considered, an organization must be a non-profit, charitable, cooperative and/or voluntary organization.

The majority of internship placements will be environmentally focused. Further, internships should support skills development, provide work experience, enhance employability and support attaining sustained future employment. Environmental employment involves work related, but not limited, to:

• Environmental protection e.g. air quality, water quality, land quality, waste management, restoration and reclamation, human and environmental health and safety, environmental protection management
• Conservation and preservation of natural resources e.g. fisheries and wildlife, forestry, agriculture, mining, energy, parks and natural reserves, natural resources management
• Environmental sustainability e.g. education, research and development, policy and legislation, communications and policy awareness, management for sustainable development

Organizations with environmental focus will be given priority; however, other organizations which fit the above host criteria are encouraged to apply. Women's services organizations are encouraged to apply directly to YWCA Canada.

The number of interns which an organization can host will be determined case-by-case, based on organizational capacity and availability of suitable interns.

A host organization must:

• have appropriate and adequate insurance and comply with all applicable legislation related to hosting the intern • maintain acceptable record keeping, allowing the YMCA and YWCA Canada to audit and monitor the progress of the internship
• provide supervision, resources, tools and training that are appropriate for young people who are new to the employment environment
• have an organization and position orientation training plan, including Young Worker Awareness related to Occupational Health & Safety
• The officers of a host organization must not be immediate family members of the intern being hosted

If there are no suitable candidates within the Youth Eco Internship's youth applicants, we will work with hosts to support a broader recruitment effort.

It is at your discretion to refuse any candidates that you feel are not suitable to the position(s) you are hosting. We will do our best to help you fill the position(s), but there is no guarantee that we will be able to provide multiple candidates and encourage you to recruit on your own.

Interns will be employees of the YMCA of Greater Toronto or YWCA Canada and will be paid via by-weekly direct deposit. Payroll will be administered by central YMCA and YWCA payroll systems. Host supervisors will need to sign off on and submit a timesheet for each intern on a bi-weekly basis. There may be a lag of up to two weeks from the submission of timesheets and the time funds are transferred. Pay rates will vary according to the specifics of the placement.

If your partnership is with the YMCA, please contact: Angela de Burger, Manager, National Programs, angela.deburger@ymcagta.org , 1-877-668-7602 If your partnership is with YWCA Canada, please contact: Jenny Struyk, Project Director, jstruyk@ywcacanada.ca,
416.962.8881 x. 230
1.877.994.6876

• The YMCA and YWCA Canada are working cooperatively; applying to both organizations offers no benefit or improved odds of participation.
• If you are looking for 2 full time equivalents or less, simply apply to either YMCA or YWCA Canada.  In the event that the organization you apply with cannot meet your needs, your application will be forwarded to the other organization.
• Apply to the YMCA specifically if you:
  • Are exclusively seeking 12 month internships
  • Are in PEI
• Apply to YWCA Canada specifically if you:
  • Are seeking more than 2 full time equivalents
  • Are an organization/program  focused on women and girls
  • Are in Nunavut Territory, the Northwest Territories, or  Yukon Territory
• There are some exceptional circumstances under which it will be deemed appropriate for an organization to host interns administered by both the YMCA and YWCA Canada