Understanding the Youth Volunteer Market: An Evaluation of Professional Skills Developed through Volunteering with World University Services of Canada

WUSC is a non-profit organization in international development that works to provide education, employment, empowerment opportunities, which includes providing enhanced leadership and life skills opportunities for youth in Canada and internationally. This project will evaluate how two key programs at WUSC (Students Without Borders and the Student Refugee Program) contribute to the professional development of students volunteering in international development and; to identify the impact of WUSC’s programs on its campus-based youth volunteers. The outcomes of this project will: 1) contribute to WUSC’s objective of ensuring that its youth volunteering initiatives in international development reflect best practice in youth professional development in Canada and in our countries of intervention; 2) contribute to an enhanced understanding of the impact of leadership programs and volunteering on future employment prospects for youth in specific economic sectors.

Faculty Supervisor:

Rebecca Tiessen

Student:

Hugo Eizo Narumiya

Partner:

Word University Service of Canada

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Ottawa