Table Topics is BACK: free civics training, $150 food budget, & more!

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APPLY TO BUILD


This cohort is designed to prepare youth to engage specifically with upcoming federal legislation addressing online harms and related technology governance and accountability measures expected to surface in 2026.

Choose your focus area:

Applicants will identify one of the following as their focus areas: Online Harms Legislation & Policy, Information Manipulation Safeguards, Platform Governance & Design, Algorithmic Accountability.

You'll learn about all of these topics throughout the program, but by applying for a specific one, you select which topic you’re most interested in. Participants will focus on this topic through their experiential learning, while cultivating their learning from a grassroots-organizing perspective.

Calling applicants in or near:

Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, Winnipeg, and Calgary.

Application deadline:

Sunday, August 30th at 11:59 PM EST. 

 

 


Meet Drew!

Participants will navigate the program alongside Drew Carlson (She/Her), our BUILD Program Lead, who will provide you with one-on-one support throughout. 

You’ll appreciate her dynamic mentorship style and passion for art and activism, having worked closely with dozens of BUILD participants and organizations supporting artists, workers, voters, and tenants.

For more about Drew, scroll down to her profile on our Team Page.

Ready to apply? Select your focus area and start the application process below.

 

Level up your engagement.

Level up your engagement.

Many young people are at the forefront of social and political movements, but we are still vastly underrepresented in positions where we can create change at a political level.

At a time when issues such as climate change and systemic racism threaten and disadvantage young people in all their diversity, we need to participate in the institutions and processes that will affect our future.

We need innovative solutions born of intersectional collaboration, and research literally shows that nobody is wired to innovate like young people.

Who is BUILD for?

Who is BUILD for?

We're looking for young Canadians between the ages of 18 and 30 who have little or no experience with formal political institutions or campaigns. This cohort, we're welcoming applicants in or near Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, Winnipeg, or Calgary.

This program is for you if you want to :

  • Develop a stronger understanding of Canada’s democratic system

  • Demystify politics through the breakdown of barriers to access, issues, decision-makers, and key civic knowledge. 

  • Drive change, whether at the local, provincial, territorial, or federal levels.

  • Participate civically and politically in other ways (e.g., volunteer with a party, attend city council meetings, advocate for political change, etc.).

Program Overview

The program lasts 14 weeks and takes place each year in the spring and fall.

Participants must commit to spending 5 to 6 hours a week on the program: 2 to 3 hours online as a group on Zoom, and at least 3 hours of experiential learning.

The online sessions are a series of modules designed to give you the tools you need to master your political action. Learn from those in the trenches, fighting for greater equity in our democracy, economy and wider community.

The experiential learning component aims to move you from observer to active participant in positive social change. Get fired up, make things happen, organize to win in a policy area you care about.

That's exactly where BUILD comes in.

That's exactly where BUILD comes in.


BUILD equips young people with advanced, actionable civic knowledge, skills and networks to effectively advocate for change at the institutional level, well beyond the ballot box. BUILD strengthens your understanding of the front lines of the Canadian democratic system and prepares you to engage with it.

Your thoughts, opinions and experiences count. If you want to make a difference in the political landscape, then you should feel encouraged to get involved. BUILD will give you confidence in the power you and your neighbours can have by working together.

BUILD Alumni:Experiential Learning Initiatives

BUILD Alumni:
Experiential Learning Initiatives

Dive into the 'who' behind each of our BUILD cohorts. Plus, discover how they have become more active members of the community, creating positive social change through their unique experiential learning initiatives.

Click on each cohort to find out more!

COHORT 1      COHORT 2     COHORT 3     COHORT 4     COHORT 5     COHORT 6     COHORT 7     COHORT 8    COHORT 9

The BUILD Program is funded by RBC.