Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) - IYIP Internships 2023 to 2029

This project is part of Global Affairs Canada's International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) funded by the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy. The IYIP aims to provide Canadian youth aged 18 to 30 particularly those facing employment barriers with the opportunity to gain professional experience in international development. The project implemented by the Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) provides Indigenous youth specifically Indigenous youth with additional barriers to employment and internships varying from 3 to 6 months. It offers 187 Indigenous youth opportunities to respond to the needs articulated by local partner organizations and gain improved capacity to implement climate adaptation youth development gender equality SRHR and disability support programs. It also allows to build more inclusive discrimination-free programs and workplaces; and access Indigenous knowledge sources.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) helped young Indigenous interns gain the skills abilities and experience they need to meet self-identified markers of success and overcome barriers to employment and education; (2) provided multiple learning opportunities to help youth understand the root causes and global context to the issues that they face and to accompany them in their healing journey; and (3) offered a range of internship experiences to allow participants to heal to create new supportive friendships and networks to meet the needs of local partner organizations to (re) connect with the Land culture and Elders and to contribute to the decolonization of the international development sector.