Ideology Trumps Excellence: The Canadian Government Silences Katimavik

SUMMARY
Katimavik, the leading program for youth volunteers in Canada, is being discontinued by its Conservative government. The educational and social value of such programs is discussed and a call for help is made.

Katimavik and Citizenship

Sometimes, as educators, we are at pains to articulate the civic value of what we do. Almost every institutional "mission statement" I have ever researched or helped create included a reference to inculcating civic responsibility or citizenship in students.

In Canada this has often been a major plank of government policy, so it would at first appear incomprehensible that our current Conservative government has suddenly ended funding to Katimavik, this country's leading program for youth volunteers.

However, this was originally a Liberal initiative begun 35 years ago by the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The Conservatives tried once to kill the program. For them, such social action interferes with the market place. Once again, ideology threatens to trump excellence.

All the students originally accepted for this July's cohort, and who may have suspended their university acceptance because of it, have now been told that Katimavik is finished. The communities who counted on the volunteers will be out in the cold.

Katimavik's Mission and Our Schools
In diverse settings, from native communities to the urban poor, the program bred bold leaders, change agents, and inquiring minds. Read Katimavik's mission and objectives and consider how they should be part of every school district's purpose:

Our mission

• Engage youth in volunteer service and foster sustainable communities through challenging national youth learning programs.

Our objectives

• To positively impact youth through Katimavik’s competency-based program that focuses on personal, social and professional development.

• To positively impact communities through Katimavik’s program of volunteer service.

• To positively impact Canada by exposing Canadian youth to the regional and cultural diversity of the country and its two official languages through Katimavik’s program model.

As a teacher, I had several students over the years who served with Katimavik. They would leave as callow youths, only to return as engaged and mature leaders. The program was tough, challenging, and far from home. But these young adults made a major difference and that's the point: Katimavik not only benefitted the youth participating but also Canadians in need throughout the country. As the program's officials state:

For the past 35 years, Katimavik has helped shape a civically responsible Canada by harnessing the power of our young volunteers to help those in need in communities across Canada. In that time, over 30, 000 Canadian youth have made a difference in communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast. They participated in our program gaining valuable work, life and leadership skills all the while fostering community development and civic engagement. Their parents had peace of mind knowing that their sons and daughters were participating in a structured, time-tested program, while they navigated the transition from emerging adulthood to adulthood.

We Can Help
As teachers and parents, we need to support our children as life-long learners and good citizens. If you agree and would like to help save Katimavik, go to the website and find the advocacy kit. Contact your local Canadian Member of Parliament with your protest. If you reside in another country, register your dismay and share your country's version of Katimavik with the Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore.

Education is for life. Developing a strong civic conscience early in life should be one of a country's priorities. When a country's youth is denied a recognized opportunity to contribute to those in need, all citizens should be concerned.