Youth Leaders on Board
The non-profit sector in Canada is huge and plays a critical role in the day-to-day lives of Canadians. Non-profits assist in delivering services such as social assistance, as well as recreation for seniors and youth. Leading a successful non-profit organization is exciting, fulfilling, and challenging. However, getting access to see how these organizations operate can be difficult.
The Youth Leaders on Board (YLOB) initiative addresses this by placing undergraduate students on the boards of organizations in Brantford, Brant County, and surrounding communities. YLOB is designed to enhance your leadership and governance knowledge, skills and experiences and provide you with a foundation for a lifelong interest in community service, as well as in board participation and development.
YLOB is intended to provide non-profit organizations with a youth perspective and enable students to gather critical, practical leadership skills such as decision making, goal setting, and communication. Typically, 6-8 organizations participate in YLOB each year and they focus on a diverse range of areas such as mental health or senior care.
Some of the organizations who have hosted students on their board include:
- Grand Valley Educational Society
- Kids Can Fly
- Community Living Brant
- Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie
- Community Resource and Employment Service
- Brantford Symphony Orchestra
Following participation in a training workshop on the roles and responsibilities of board members, YLOB students will fulfill their commitment to a one-year placement as a student member on a local community board of directors.
Are you ready for an experience that could open you up to new opportunities and ideas? If so, the Youth Leaders on Board program could be for you.
To get started on this journey, simply do the following:
- Fill out the Youth Leaders on Board Application Form in the tab below.
- On the form, provide us with your current contact information, and make sure we know the best way to reach you.
- Describe why you'd like to be involved in YLOB, and summarize any leadership initiatives or experiences you've had in the past.
- Let us know the type of organization you'd like to be matched with from the list of available categories.
- Tell us about any previous board experience you may already have. NOTE: Previous experience is NOT a requirement for this program.
- Provide us with the name and contact information for two references.
Once you have submitted your application, we will reach out to you and talk more with you about your interests and expectations.
If you are selected you will take a mandatory a two-hour training session regarding non-profit boards. You will then attend board meetings through the Fall and Winter terms. The majority of placements will be in the non-profit/charitable sector and we will try our best to match your interest with the available board opportunities.
Understand you will be attending at least a minimum of four to five board meetings. The number of meetings held are up to each organization. Some organizations may not meet that frequently, and some may meet more regularly.
As a representative of Laurier and the YLOB program, you will be expexted to attend all board meetings held during the Fall and Winter terms. Your organization will supply you with meeting times/dates and details.
At the end of your participation, you will be asked to complete a survey about the expereince, and provide additional feedback.
Youth Leaders on Board Application Form
Applications for the 2022 - 2023 term are currently being accepted. Make sure to fill out the form today. Our application deadline is October 21, 2022.
For additional information please contact our YLOB program director, Dr. Shane Dixon at sdixon@wlu.ca or reach out to our coordinator Sophia Kallitsis at: YLOBadmin@wlu.ca
Testimonials
“The YLOB program gave me a practical understanding of how non-profit boards function. This experience helped balance and compliment theory gained through the YLOB program along with lecture content. I will continue to seek out opportunities on various boards for years to come because I have learned the difference I can make in my community through the YLOB leadership opportunity!”
– fourth-year Leadership student
“This program gives students an opportunity to understand how decisions within these organizations are made, whom they benefit, and how conflicts amongst a group of people with various backgrounds are resolved.”
– fourth-year Criminology student
“Young adults do not get many opportunities to be exposed to the good work of community governance and the potential pitfalls that can be avoided. Youth Leaders on Board is a simple program which matches students to community agencies. The student learns community governance and the agency gets connected to young adults who are not typically represented on community boards. It is a win-win.”
– health-care organization
“Due to the nature of our board, having a student member has been very helpful. Her opinions and comments were very important as students are becoming the majority downtown and it is important that they have a voice.”
– business development organization