Apply or Nominate a School

Program Requirements

Through your school’s partnership with YPI Canada, all participating teachers will be provided with a fully resourced, curriculum-aligned lesson plan and student assignment package, as well as training and ongoing support from professional staff by phone, email, video conference, and virtual workshops.

Enrolment is free for public schools and includes a $5,000 grant for your students to award to a local charity. The program is free for independent/private schools; and they participate in a grant-share partnership with YPI, providing $2,500 toward their school’s charity grant.

In turn, schools must agree to the following program requirements to enrol in YPI programming, which are current for 2021/2022 and include continued COVID adaptations:

1. YPI will be taught as a project in any mandatory course in grade 9 or 10, with a minimum of 50% of the classes across the grade level participating.*
2. Your school’s YPI Lead Teacher will be the main point of contact for receiving and responding to YPI communications. They will participate in an orientation/training session with YPI staff before the start of your school’s YPI programming; and they will provide periodic updates on your school’s YPI project upon request throughout the year.
3. All YPI Teachers must review YPI’s Student Care and Ethics Principles regarding students’ personal stories, privacy and digital imprint, permission and consent. This is to support YPI Teachers to center youth voices and experiences in ways that are respectful and ethical throughout the program.
4. All YPI Teachers will use the 2021/2022 YPI Teacher Resource Guide to implement the 2021/2022 program. YPI staff will provide orientation and training on the updated guide and resources, which are available in English and French.**
5. Charities selected for YPI research are to be identified and chosen by students, and they must meet YPI’s granting eligibility requirements (a registered charity providing social services directly to people in your local area).
6. YPI Teachers and Authorizing Administrators will support students to engage with representatives from local charities as part of their research. Please see the note on COVID adaptations below.***
7. A majority of students must be directly involved in making the final decision regarding your school’s YPI grant. During the pandemic, this could involve an in-person or online student vote, a digital showcase, a judging panel with majority students separate from a YPI Final Assembly, or a traditional YPI Final where in-person gathering is permitted.

*Starting in their second year, participating schools must implement YPI in 100% of classes across any mandatory course (schools may start with 50% of their classes participating in their first year). However, the 50% participation rate is an exception that is being offered to all schools during COVID, and this will extend through the 2021/2022 academic year. Please request a phone call with YPI staff if you would like to discuss a different type of participation exception for your school. The 100% participation requirement is to support inclusion of all students across the grade level.

**The YPI Teacher Resource Guide will be made available to all participating schools in the Fall. Teachers may select resources/activities that are relevant to their curriculum, and supplement with additional material as needed.

***Always follow your local public health regulations. Under ordinary circumstances, YPI students engage with local charities most often through site visits and interviews; however direct contact with charities is currently not encouraged, both to adhere to public health regulations, as well as to respect the acute needs of charities, many of whom are currently short staffed, underfunded, and busier than ever. In lieu of this type of direct engagement, during COVID we recommend that students use online resources to research their chosen charities, followed by a thank you letter to the charity. (Resources are included in the Teacher Resource Guide).