Enabling Accessibility Fund: Youth Innovation Component Funding Program (Canada)

Through this process, youth volunteer their time to build a more accessible Canada. They are looking for young Canadians to help make Canada more accessible for persons with disabilities.

By becoming a Youth Accessibility Leader, you will promote the program and encourage organizations to apply for its funding. You can do this by addressing accessibility barriers in community spaces or workplaces within your community. Through this work, you will volunteer your time to:

• create greater awareness about accessibility needs
• encourage organizations to apply for EAF funding to address existing accessibility barriers, and
• build a more inclusive and accessible Canada.

Benefits

• Benefits of being a Youth Accessibility Leader:
  • Increased awareness of accessibility barriers in your community
  • Personal and community empowerment
  • Valuable presentation skills
  • Experience preparing or assisting in preparing project proposals
  • Networking opportunities, and
  • Social responsibility and volunteer experience that impacts your community

Role and Responsibilities

• As a Youth Accessibility Leader, you will be part of a growing community of youth from across the country that have:
  • found accessibility barriers in workplaces or community spaces
  • talked with organizations about their existing accessibility barriers
  • encouraged organizations to apply for funding to address their accessibility barriers
  • helped an organization draft a project proposal
  • helped promote the program within your community, online and in the media, and
  • made a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities.

Eligibility Criteria

• They are looking for youth to become Youth Accessibility Leaders. They want you and what you have to offer, if you:
  • are determined to make a difference in your community (including community spaces and workplaces)
  • want to develop valuable skills and gain key experience
• To be considered eligible you must be:
  • between 15 and 30 years of age at the time of the application
  • legally authorized to work in Canada
  • either a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or individual who has been granted refugee status in Canada
• As an eligible Youth Accessibility Leader, you can collaborate with the following eligible organization types:
  • not-for-profit organizations, including but not limited to:
    • local community, charitable, and voluntary organizations
    • public education institutions such as, school boards, public universities and colleges
    • small businesses of 99 full-time equivalent employees or less, including but not limited to:
    • businesses, bodies incorporated or unincorporated, and
    • private education institutions operating for-profit
    • Indigenous organizations
    • municipalities
    • territorial governments

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following organizations are not eligible to apply for funding:
  • federal and provincial governments
  • public health care facilities and public hospitals, including projects that take place on public health care and public hospital property. Health care facilities that are private and meet the eligibility criteria above may be eligible.

For more information, visit Government of Canada.