Katimavik (2014)

Katimavik (Inuktitut: "meeting place") is a registered charity which educates Canadian youth through volunteer work. Katimavik provides opportunities for young Canadians to participate in intensive six-month periods of volunteer service through the following themed programs: "Cultural Discovery and Civic Engagement", "Eco-citizenship and Active Living", "Second Language and Cultural Identity", "Eco-internship" (Éco-stage), and "Katimavik Horizon". In each program, volunteers live in groups of 11 young people in one or two different regions of the country, work full-time for not-for-profit organizations, and engage in an educational curriculum in which volunteers improve their second official language, learn about environmental stewardship and Canadian cultures, and develop a healthy lifestyle and leadership skills.[1] During the 2011-12 program year, approximately 1,150 young Canadians volunteered in a Katimavik program and lived at one of 53 Katimavik houses located across the country while contributing to the work of one of 545 partner organizations.[2] The organization is currently headed by Daniel Lapointe.[3] Since 1977, more than 30,000 Canadians have participated in the program, staged in more than 2000 communities.