We are having our next Safety Pool Session on Monday July 15th! At Vaughn Road Academy Pool
July 15th - 12:30pm - 3:30pm*
529 Vaughan Rd. York, ON M6C2R1
TTC: Travel to St. Clair WEST Station. Board the 90A Vaughan and travel to Winona Farside.
This is a mandatory part of our application process. If you have any questions please call us at 416-778-4311
*Only those registered welcome to attend due to limited space.
A Recently we asked you for help. We asked you to help us raise $30,000. We have raised $15,000 toward this goal, but we still need to raise $15,000 in the next week. Dwindling resources at all levels of government and a struggling economy have made it difficult for Project Canoe to raise all the needed funds to ensure 120 youth are able to have a life-changing experience. Won't you help us raise $30,000 before our official summer season launch? As a Project Canoe supporter, you know the power of the outdoors. You know about the transformation that can happen in a young person's life when they are given the opportunity to clear their minds, learn and practice new skills, and experience something many youth take for granted.
Project Canoe does not turn any young person away, regardless of the ability to pay. This means we provide full or partial subsidies for the majority of the youth we serve.
Donate now and know that you're supporting something truly impactful this summer.
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We have completed the hiring for this position. If you're interested in hearing about opportunities for next year, feel free to reach out to info@canoe.org. Thank you! Project Canoe (Creative and Natural Outdoor Experience Inc.)
Executive Director (part time contract)
Project Canoe (Creative and Natural Outdoor Experience, Inc.) is seeking an Executive Director on a six-month part-time contract to provide strong and passionate management and leadership for its mission of helping youth, who face economic, social and behavioural challenges in their lives, build more positive futures.
Established in 1976, Project Canoe is a registered charity which provides wilderness canoe trips and other year-round supportive experiential activities and opportunities to youth (aged 13-17) who are drawn primarily from Children’s Aid Societies, children’s mental health agencies and Toronto’s high-priority communities. Since the Organization’s inception, more than 2500 youth have benefited from Project Canoe’s unique program approach which features a low staff to youth ratio and an emphasis on building on the inherent strengths of each individual participant.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director of Project Canoe assumes the role of managing and leading this vital youth development organization. The Executive Director’s responsibilities and opportunities include:
Strategic Leadership:
The Executive Director will be knowledgeable about the Organization’s strategic direction, in order to make appropriate operational decisions. The Executive Director will provide input to the strategic planning process that is currently underway and will help implement the new 5-year strategic plan.
Fundraising & Promotion:
The Executive Director will lead fundraising efforts for the Organization and develop an annual fundraising and promotion plan. All fundraising and promotion activities are designed to respect the confidentiality and dignity of the Organization’s youth participants.
The Executive Director will maintain relationships with funding agencies as well as promote the Organization to funders, potential funders and to other organizations that serve our population and/or provide similar program experiences.
The Executive Director will be lead the development of all publicity and communications, including production of the newsletter, updates to the website and other promotional materials.
Organizational Administration:
The Executive Director is responsible for financial management and administration of the Organization, including preparing the annual budget, preparing for the annual audit, keeping abreast of accounts and investments, and managing payables, receivables, petty cash and payroll.
Additionally, the Executive Director prepares an Annual Plan which is based on the Organization’s existing overall Strategic Plan. The Executive Director reports on progress towards the goals of the Annual Plan at each Board meeting.
The Executive Director facilitates the updating of the Organization’s By-laws, policies, procedures, Risk Management Policy and Strategic Plan. Also, the Executive Director keeps the Organization in good standing with respect to charitable status, incorporation, insurance, taxation and memberships in other organizations.
The Executive Director’s administrative duties include those directly related to the position, as well as maintaining the database, keeping contact with members of the organization, correspondence, mailings and general office work. The Executive Director may have the services of an Office Administrator to assist with some of the more basic of this work.
Leadership Team Support:
The Executive Director supervises and supports the Program Director, the Summer Coordinators and the Office Administrator. It is imperative that the Executive Director encourages commitment to the youth with whom we work, and ensures that the Leadership Team works within the philosophy and framework of the Organization. The Executive Director will be responsible for reporting to the Board on behalf of the staff and advising the staff on behalf of the Board.
Board Administration:
Keeping sight of the mission, vision, values and mandate of the Organization, the Executive Director guides and provides administrative assistance to the Board in its functions. This includes attending monthly Board meetings and serving on the Governance, Finance and Fund Development Board committees. The aim of the committees is to address issues in-depth and work on initiatives to improve these areas of the Organization. The Executive Director will work with the Chair of the Board to organize Board meetings.
Program Support:
The Executive Director assists the Program Director to establish program partnerships. These partnerships are formed with various youth agencies and programs when it is deemed beneficial to add a canoe trip experience to the agency’s or program’s existing program.
The Executive Director assists the Program Director with promoting the program and supports the development of the emerging year round program.
Skills and Qualifications:
Requirements:
Status: The position of Executive Director is a six-month part time contract (approximately 0.7 F.T.E.)
Location: Project Canoe’s Toronto office is at 585 Dundas Street East.
Salary: Project Canoe offers a pro-rated salary based on an annualized range of $55,000 - $60,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience.
This position involves some evening and weekend work. There is flexibility in the other hours worked.
Please submit your letter of application and resume by email to the Chair, Hiring
Committee, Project Canoe, no later than June 28, 2013. The email address is
We appreciate the interest of all applicants but will contact only those who will be interviewed.
More information about Project CANOE is available at: www.canoe.org
We're proud to share a recent article in the Toronto Star featuring one of our past participants who is now an enthusiastic volunteer! Check out the article here.
We are having out first Safety Pool Session of the year this Saturday!
At Main Square Community Centre
9:00am - 11:30am*
245 Main St. Toronto, Ontario M4C 4X2
TTC: Take the Bloor-Danforth (green) line to Main St. Station and walk south about 3 minutes.
This is a mandatory part of our application process. If you have any questions please call us at 416-778-4311
*Only those registered welcome to attend due to limited space.
We need your help this summer. Dwindling resources at all levels of government and a struggling economy have made it difficult for Project Canoe to raise all the needed funds to ensure 120 youth are able to have a life-changing experience. Won't you help us raise $30,000 before our official summer season launch? As a Project Canoe supporter, you know the power of the outdoors. You know about the transformation that can happen in a young person's life when they are given the opportunity to clear their minds, learn and practice new skills, and experience something many youth take for granted.
Project Canoe does not turn any young person away, regardless of the ability to pay. This means we provide full or partial subsidies for the majority of the youth we serve. These are young people that would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of the Temagami Wilderness while building their self-confidence and making new friends.
Donate now and know that you're supporting something truly impactful this summer. (Not in a position to donate at this time? Contact info@canoe.org if you have access to canoes or other new or slightly used items that we can incorporate into our programming as a loan or a donation.)
It's that time of year again. We're recruiting youth participants and preparing our beautiful basecamp in Temagami for our signature Summer Wilderness Canoe Trip Program. We thought you might like to meet this summer's ALL STAR management and administrative team.
L-R: Tim, Erin, Christine, Valeska, & Elisa
You can read more about our summer team on our staff page!
Project Canoe is hosting the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop on April 29th and 30th at our offices at Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park. ASIST is for caregivers who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over one million caregivers have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practice-oriented workshop. If you're interested in learning more or joining us, please visit their website for more information and registration.
Please join us for our Annual General Meeting at our new home at Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park. Recall that some of our outdoor retail partners are supporting our efforts to purchase much-needed equipment for our summer program by running an "As Is Auction" of outdoor gear at our Annual General Meeting. Here is a partial list of gear on offer at extremely discounted rates!
Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park (585 Dundas Street East, 3rd Floor)
Tuesday, March 5th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Food and beverage provided. Please join us to celebrate the successes of the last year and learn what we have in store for the coming year.
R.S.V.P. to info@canoe.org (walk-ins also welcome)
Please join us for our Annual General Meeting at our new home at Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park. We're excited to announce that we are running an "As Is Auction" of new or slightly used outdoor gear (donated from some of our favourite outdoor retail partners) at our Annual General Meeting. (Stay tuned for a list of gear we'll be offering at extreme discount from regular retail price.)
Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park (585 Dundas Street East, 3rd Floor)
Tuesday, March 5th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Food and beverage provided. Please join us to celebrate the successes of the last year and learn what we have in store for the coming year.
R.S.V.P. to info@canoe.org (walk-ins also welcome)
Get your tickets now! The Reel Paddling Film Festival kicks off its 2013 world tour here in Toronto on February 12, 2013.
Rapid Media’s 8th annual Reel Paddling Film Festival showcases some of the best paddling films in the world. This international competition begins in Toronto, ON, hosted by The Complete Paddler, before beginning its year-long tour across the globe and screening to over 30,000 outdoor enthusiasts and their families. The festival recognizes the best paddling films in a series of categories like, best white water kayaking film, best canoeing film, best fishing film etc. It aims to inspire more people to explore rivers, lakes and oceans, push physical and emotional extremes, embrace the lifestyle and appreciate the heritage of the wild places we paddle.
On Tuesday, February 12, 2013 The Complete Paddler will host the premier at the Royal Cinema in Little Italy. Doors will open at 6:30 PM for a 7:00 PM start.
One hundred percent of the night’s proceeds will go directly to Project Canoe!
To add even more excitement to the event; thanks to the tremendous generosity of some of our top manufacturers, there will be a number of door prizes to be won as well as two “Hot Ticket” prizes including the new Nova Craft Ocoee solo white water canoe, a remake of an old classic. Everyone who attends will be entered into the draw for the Door Prizes and Hot Tickets will be sold for the Ocoee and a Dagger Kayak. Hot Tickets will be sold for $2.00/ea or $5.00 for 3.
Tickets: $12/Advance or $15/door
Happy holidays, friends. Here at Project Canoe we're taking time to reflect on our amazing community of supporters that enable our work in so many ways. At this time, we would like to invite you to become official members of Project Canoe. Who can become a member? You can become a member if you are (i) at least 16 years of age, (ii) interested in furthering the objects and values of Project Canoe, and (iii) have made a donation OR volunteered time to Project Canoe OR are a staff member or youth participant.
Why become a member? In 2012 we updated our by-laws in light of recent changes to applicable legislation. The revised by-laws clarify the eligibility requirements for members and sets out a process for the Board to approve membership applications and renewals annually. We'll do this at our Annual General Meeting (March 5th, 5 to 7 p.m. at our offices here at 585 Dundas Street East). These changes provide greater certainty and transparency in the granting of memberships.
Interested? Then please email info@canoe.org your name, connection to Project Canoe, and the best way/time to reach you to confirm your information.
Please click on the above photo for the full sized invitation.
RSVP to Jenna at jenna@canoe.org, or call us at (416) 778-4311
We have completed all of our hiring for 2013. If you're interested in hearing about opportunities for next year, feel free to reach out to info@canoe.org. Thank you! Project Canoe is looking for great people to be a part of our summer team! Check out our Employment Page for opportunities.
Here is what one past staff member had to say about her experience with the program:
On October 30th, 2012 friends and supporters of Project Canoe gathered together at the Imperial Pub in Toronto for our annual Pub Night Fundraiser and an evening of celebration and fun. Each year, we ask a participant from one of our programs to come and speak to the crowd and tell their story. This year, we were lucky to have a participant from the 2012 Leader-in-Training program come out and share his experience with Project Canoe and how it changed his outlook on life and the natural world. Olivier has been participating with Project Canoe for two summers and hopes to become an Intern in the summer of 2013. With his permission, we are proud to share a transcript of the speech he gave that night.
"I started with PC in the summer of 2011. I was going through some tough times. I was having a pretty difficult year, dealing with issues on the home front. Signing up for a 12-day trip out in the wilderness, sounded like a really good escape. Little did I know that running away into the forest means running towards yourself. Your inhibitions, your fears, your misconceptions, all laid out in front of you. Think of it as an impromptu self-evaluation. It’s not an unpleasant experience, not at all. In fact, it's one of the greatest joys I’ve found in my life. It’s as if nature brings you out, unfettered and free.
Going camping means finding your strengths and coming to terms with your short comings, realizing that they only limit you as much as you allow them. This is not an experience that happens overnight – it’s a gradual experience, like climbing a ladder while shedding all the extra weight. These things weighing you down: material attachments, addiction, even depression slowly fade away so you can finally see yourself. So what brings this epiphany of sorts? What causes this effect of clear-headedness? To put it simply, the catalyst is necessity. Extreme circumstances and surroundings bring out a sort of hidden resolve inside yourself.
It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention, right? Well going out into the wilderness forces you to reinvent yourself in order to do things like carry a boat on your shoulders, hike for hours with a heavy pack on your back, trek through terrains that honestly look like overgrown goat paths, paddle through huge waves and winds and weather pushing you back and threatening to flip you over, accept the fact that there is no running water in the forest... Necessity gives you strength to do all these things, and not mind it. In fact, I’ve never felt more accomplished.
PC helped me differentiate wants from needs, it showed me how to persevere, and be interdependent. I’m proud to say I finished both a 12 day and a 21 day trip, and I am hoping to go on many more, because finding yourself is an ongoing journey. Project Canoe helped me to speed up the process a bit. Thanks for listening."
We are proud to announce that our long-time supporter, The Complete Paddler and their partners with the Reel Paddling Film Festival have chosen Project Canoe as the charity beneficiary of all funds above costs raised at this coming year's Festival premiere in Toronto. What can you do to help ensure the success of this fun and important event? Start by marking your calendars for Tuesday, February 12th at the Royal Theatre in Toronto. Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, watch one of our favourites from last year's list of winning Festival entries.
Zac Crouse's "So Fine" from Aram Kouyoumdjian on Vimeo.
Hi friends of Project Canoe. A little wind and rain won't stop the fantastic celebration we have planned for tonight. Read more about it:{For Immediate Release} PROJECT CANOE CELEBRATES A SUCCESSFUL SUMMER
TORONTO, ON,. OCTOBER 17, 2012 — Project Canoe is going overboard as we celebrate another successful summer. Project Canoe’s Pub Night will take place on October 30th at 7pm at the Imperial Pub (54 Dundas St. East, Toronto). Sponsored by the Imperial Pub, the evening celebrates a paddle-filled summer of hard work and learning. It's an important fundraiser that includes a wonderful silent auction to benefit Project Canoe's Alicia Ross Memorial Fund for Youth.
Guests at the Pub Night will hear from Canadian Olympian Kara Lang. Ms. Lang will share insights about the importance of physical activity and the impact it has on young peoples' lives and successes. Ms. Lang is a sports analyst and a retired Canadian soccer player. She represented Canada in two FIFA World Cups and the Olympic Games. She is the youngest woman to be named to Canada’s National Women's Team, making her National Team debut on March 1, 2002 at the Algarve Cup in Portugal at age 15. Guests will also hear from one of the Project Canoe participants.
Updates about the event can be found on Twitter by following @projectcanoe and #PCPubNight. For media passes, or to request more information, please email info@canoe.org.
Event details, including ticket purchasing, can be found at http://pcpubnight.eventbrite.ca/.
{For Immediate Release} PROJECT CANOE CELEBRATES A SUCCESSFUL SUMMER TORONTO, ON,. OCTOBER 17, 2012 — Project Canoe is going overboard as we celebrate another successful summer. Project Canoe’s Pub Night will take place on October 30th at 7pm at the Imperial Pub (54 Dundas St. East, Toronto). Sponsored by the Imperial Pub, the evening celebrates a paddle-filled summer of hard work and learning. It's an important fundraiser that includes a wonderful silent auction to benefit Project Canoe's Alicia Ross Memorial Fund for Youth.
Guests at the Pub Night will hear from Canadian Olympian Kara Lang. Ms. Lang will share insights about the importance of physical activity and the impact it has on young peoples' lives and successes. Ms. Lang is a sports analyst and a retired Canadian soccer player. She represented Canada in two FIFA World Cups and the Olympic Games. She is the youngest woman to be named to Canada’s National Women's Team, making her National Team debut on March 1, 2002 at the Algarve Cup in Portugal at age 15. Guests will also hear from one of the Project Canoe participants.
Each summer Project Canoe takes youth aged 13-18, referred by the Children’s Aid Society and other social service and community agencies, to the Briggs Base Camp on Lake Temagami. The base camp, made available through the generosity of Ontario Parks, is the launching point for a 5, 8, 12 or 28-day experience. These experiences introduce participants to the outdoors and develop important transferable life and interpersonal skills. Project Canoe also offers a robust in-city, year-round program to build on the important life skills seeded during those beautiful summer days and nights in Temagami.
Updates about the event can be found on Twitter by following @projectcanoe and #PCPubNight. For media passes, or to request more information, please email info@canoe.org.
Event details, including ticket purchasing, can be found at http://pcpubnight.eventbrite.ca/.
Hi everyone. It's that time of year again! We've just wrapped up our summer programming and are shifting gears to the year-round city program. To support the important work we do, please join us for our 6th Annual Pub Night on Tuesday, October 30th at the Imperial Pub in Toronto.
