Intern - YPEC

Youth Public Engagement Champion (2026 - 2028)

JOB SUMMARY

Are you a passionate young person looking to get more involved in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) space? Do you want to learn more about global SRHR, inform and inspire Canadian youth, and advocate for girls’ health and rights?

The Youth Public Engagement Champions (YPEC) are a group of six Canadian youth aged 16-24 who raise awareness of global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights through the SHE SOARS* project. They explore SRHR topics, create content, share knowledge, and engage other young Canadians in SRHR discussions and actions to foster global citizenship.

As a YPEC member, you will help lead, plan and create engaging content for the SHE SOARS podcast and CARE Canada’s Instagram account, our two ongoing initiatives. You will also develop, participate in, and help implement other public engagement activities in Canada, which may include advocacy events, workshops, awareness campaigns, blog posts and more. You will be part of the team at CARE Canada, collaborating with other young leaders on the SHE SOARS project in Canada, and periodically with your counterpart youth group in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

The first two YPEC cohorts established a strong foundation for public engagement activities in Canada and applied new and innovative approaches to build on audience engagement over the past four years. We are now looking for three new YPEC members to join three existing YPEC members to take our youth awareness and engagement efforts to the next level and dive more into advocacy work and education as we approach the final years of the project. If you are eager to be part of a group of young people leading on global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Canada, with creativity and commitment, this is the project for you!

Time commitment

YPEC terms are two years. Incoming YPEC members will start in early June 2026 (until June 2028). The time commitment is 10 hours per month on independent and group work. The group meets online at least twice per month (e.g. weekdays between 9am – 6pm ET) to brainstorm, discuss and coordinate tasks, with additional meetings and trainings as needed/desired. Group members monitor communications and are in contact throughout the week. Most activities are carried out virtually with occasional in-person events (such as workshops, information booths and campaigns). The Youth Champions speak directly to the public about SRHR and represent SHE SOARS in Canada.

About the project

SHE SOARS* is a youth-led project that is improving young people’s access to Sexual and Reproductive Health information and services, financial literacy and life skills in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, with a focus on young women and girls aged 10-19 (but not forgetting the boys). Activities include educational groups on SRHR, Youth Savings and Loans Associations, training of healthcare providers, community engagement activities to shift harmful gender norms and attitudes, and advocacy work to improve systems around youth health and rights.

Meaningful Youth Engagement is a core component of the SHE SOARS project. The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a group of six young people from Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, who advise on project activities in their countries and incorporate youth voices throughout the project.

In Canada, the Youth Champions share knowledge about SRHR through compelling content and engage with the SHE SOARS project to raise awareness of youth SRHR in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, while drawing parallels to the Canadian context. YPEC promotes youth-led advocacy and helps build a network of informed and inspired Canadian youth. YPEC and YAB collaborate at key moments throughout the project to support YPEC’s efforts to create meaningful opportunities for Canadian youth to engage as global citizens.

KEY INTERACTIONS

INTERNAL: Youth Champions, Public Engagement Officer and relevant CARE staff (75% of time spent)

EXTERNAL: Youth/SRHR organizations, agencies and educational institutions in Canada, and global and local partners on the SHE SOARS project, including the Youth Advisory Board (25% of time spent)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

• Actively participate in regular YPEC meetings with group members and the Public Engagement Officer to discuss and plan content, assign tasks, and participate in trainings (30% of time spent)
• Plan and implement the SHE SOARS podcast; conduct speaker outreach, plan episode outlines and topic lists, meet with producer and guests, and co-host episodes (25% of time spent)
• Create content including, but not limited to, researching, planning, writing/designing, and editing Instagram posts, stories and reels (25% of time spent)
• Engage with youth/SRHR organizations, agencies and other relevant bodies in Canada to develop, promote and execute public engagement activities, for example, workshops, campaigns and events (15% of time spent)
• Engage with SHE SOARS partners, including the Youth Advisory Board, to inform and support public engagement activities (5% of time spent)

*Tasks can be distributed amongst YPEC members according to their different interests and skills.

Location: Remote within Canada

Expected percentage of travel time: 10%

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• Canadian citizen, landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canadaaged 16-24, residing in Canada throughout the two-year term
• Passion and enthusiasm about girls’ health and rights and youth-led advocacy
• Strong communication skills, collaboration, creativity and commitment to complete tasks
• Able to work on ongoing tasks and adhere to deadlines (tasks often completed within a week)
• Able to commit to meetings at least bi-weekly during business hours, with additional meetings, trainings and virtual activities as required for the two-year term (extra bi-weekly YPEC brainstorming sessions may be discussed/agreed upon as a group)
• Able to monitor and engage in team communications channels multiple times a week as needed (e.g. checking Teams, sharing/reviewing YPEC content, and contributing to active engagement of the YPEC team)
• Able to collaborate with a diverse team of youth in Canada and internationally
• Fluent in English

DESIRED

• Knowledge and experience in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights advocacy
• Social media savvy and content creation experience, particularly podcast and social media (writing and graphic design)
• Able to travel within Canada to participate in events as needed
• Familiar with collaborating in youth-led working groups and non-profit organizations

YPEC members will receive:

• Compensation of 240 CAD per month for ten hours of work per month;
• Appropriate training as well as capacity-building and opportunities for professional development;
• Appropriate support from CARE to fulfill their role;
• A flexible and youth-friendly work environment;
• A safe space for youth leadership and advocacy.

If you are someone who wants to speak up for girls’ health and rights, loves to be part of a dynamic team and you are passionate about making a difference, then this opportunity is for you!

SELECTION PROCESS

Interested candidates should fill out the application by 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday, April 15th, 2026.

Short-listed candidates will be invited to a virtual interview around the end of April / beginning of May.

CARE Canada is committed to employment equity, welcomes diversity in the workplace and encourages applications from all qualified applicants. Recruitment-related accommodations for persons with disabilities are available on request.

CARE Canada has a mandatory vaccination policy currently in place with accommodations based on the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Please note that CARE Canada will not ask you to provide any personal and/or banking information throughout the recruitment process.

If you have questions, you are welcome to contact our team at shesoars@care.ca.

Pay Type

Salary