Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth (formerly Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres)

• What's New
• Objectives and Eligible Activities
• Eligible Recipients
• Project Eligibility
• Eligible Expenditures
• Ineligible Expenditures
• Proposal Format

What's New

The Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres (UMAYC) programming element has been renamed Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth (CCAY). CCAY continues to provide programming in off-reserve, urban communities to those aged 15-24 years but will now target participation to youth ages 10-14 as well.

Objectives and Eligible Activities

The objectives of CCAY are:

• To provide accessible, community-based, culturally-focused projects for Aboriginal youth aged 10-24 that promote one or more of the following themes:
  • Cultural development
  • Community engagement
  • Leadership development
  • Youth engagement
  • Life skills and wellness
• To involve Aboriginal youth in the management of CCAY through youth advisory committees.
• To improve the cultural, social, economic and personal prospects of urban Aboriginal youth.

CCAY projects will endeavour to:

• adopt a holistic approach to develop spiritual, emotional, physical and mental well-being;
• incorporate Aboriginal values, cultures, and traditional practices;
• promote cultural awareness by providing opportunities for all Aboriginal youth to explore and learn about Aboriginal languages and cultures;
• incorporate a youth development approach where the needs of the various age groups are recognized and activities are tailored to these age-specific needs;
• promote cultural awareness in the community at large; and
• recognize and respect the distinctiveness among Aboriginal cultures.

CCAY promotes the design of projects that target age groups with appropriate activities for the various stages of youth development. Projects aimed at youth aged 10-14, will require more supervision and be more structured than projects aimed at older age groups. Projects aimed at youth aged 15-20, will focus on the development of leadership skills and community engagement. Projects aimed at older youth 21-24, will foster the development of leadership, community engagement and entrepreneurship The following eligible activities will assist delivery organizations to better achieve desired results for participants.

Eligible activities could include:

Cultural Development

• culture camps
• language camps
• arts and craft workshops
• traditional dance, jigging, throat singing, drumming, music
• media arts, contemporary and other forms of artistic expression
• writing and producing a play or production of an original work for stage and screen
• the use of technology to enhance the ability of Aboriginal peoples to share, express and appreciate their identity

Community Engagement

• development of a community garden
• volunteerism
• coaching clinics
• anti-racism projects
• beautification projects • opportunities to partner with Elders and other community organizations
• sharing values and traditions with other cultures to support greater intercultural understanding

Leadership Development

• seminars or workshops that clearly demonstrate an opportunity to develop problem-solving, encourage team work and time management
• preparing presentations and public speaking
• the exploration of different leadership models
• opportunities to practice leadership and take on increasingly challenging roles
• mentoring leadership with other youth
• exploration of different business models for youth considering starting a business
• workshops that clearly demonstrate an opportunity for youth to develop a business concept

Youth Engagement

• social activities that offer positive role modelling and alternatives to gang and other negative behaviour
• culturally-focussed workshops in dance, drama, video, singing and music
• talking circles and theme-based movie nights with focussed discussions

Life Skills and Wellness

• activities that enhance self-esteem, confidence, and support the development of a healthy lifestyle
• parenting skills
• safety workshops
• organized team sports and recreation • outdoor camps

Eligible Recipients

Eligible recipients, located in an off-reserve, urban or northern community whose population is over 1,000, include the following:

• not-for-profit Aboriginal organizations, societies and community groups;
• Aboriginal service delivery and voluntary organizations;
• Aboriginal academic institutions;
• Aboriginal cultural, educational and recreational organizations/centres;
• Aboriginal youth and women's organizations; and
• where there exists an absence of an Aboriginal organization(s), non-Aboriginal organizations in a clearly defined partnership with Aboriginal organizations or Aboriginal advisory committees.

N.B. CCAY third party delivery organizations are not eligible for project funding under the CCAY.

Please note, the following are not eligible to apply for funding:

• individuals;
• non-Aboriginal organizations (unless in partnership with Aboriginal organizations or Aboriginal advisory committees);
• for-profit organizations;
• federal departments and agencies; and
• provincial/territorial and municipal governments and their agencies.

Project Eligibility

A project has the following characteristics:

• stated start and end dates;
• one or more goals;
• measurable objectives; and
• the identification of an activity or activities designed to achieve the goal(s) and objectives.

For the CCAY, the qualities of eligible projects are that they:

• adhere to the objectives of the CCAY;
• are located in an off-reserve, urban or northern community whose population is over 1,000; and
• are accessible to the entire target population.

Eligible Expenditures

Subject to ministerial approval, eligible expenditures must be directly related to the project activities and may include:

• salaries^[1] and employee benefits related to the delivery of the project
• training related to the performance of CCAY responsibilities
• rental costs for facilities specifically required for the project and/or project activities
• equipment rental/service/purchase^[2]
• project supplies and resource materials
• photocopying/printing/translation directly related to project activities
• communications directly related to project activities
• honoraria for Elders and professional services/consulting fees related directly to the project
• travel^[3] within Canada related to the project
• insurance directly related to project activities
• administration (see below)

Administrative costs will not exceed 15 percent of the total approved funding. Administrative costs at the project level may include;

• bookkeeping services
• office supplies
• insurance
• telephone, fax
• utilities
• postage, courier
• photocopying/printing
• rent for office space
• audit
• legal
• translation

N.B.: An audit will be required for projects receiving $50,000 or more under the CCAY.

Ineligible Expenditures

Ineligible expenditures are:

• capital construction and renovation
• stipends, allowances or honoraria for attendance in a course/activity
• costs incurred before the application is received by the Department
• salaries and honoraria for a principal officer or Board members
• start-up and operational costs for organizations including;
  • youth councils
  • institutions
  • training organizations
  • commercial enterprises
  • cultural/professional industries
• employment training programs including apprenticeship or job training
• festivals and gatherings, including career fairs and conferences
• contingency/miscellaneous fees
• deficit recovery

Proposal Format

In addition to submitting the information required in the General Application Form, in preparing your proposal it is required that you provide information to address each of the following points:

Project Title and Duration

The proposal must include;

• title of project
• start and end dates of project

Need

The proposal must include information on:

• the target population, including the number of people living in the community;
• why this project is needed; and
• who was consulted, including individuals and organizations from the target group and the community, to identify this need.

Objectives

The proposal must demonstrate how the project will help towards achieving one or more of the objectives of the Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth.

Activities

The proposal must:

• demonstrate the involvement of Aboriginal youth in the planning and priority-setting, the program design, implementation, management, administration and/or delivery of the proposed activity(ies)*;
• indicate that the proposed activity(ies) will be open to all Aboriginal youth regardless of status, culture or gender;
• describe the activity/activities to be funded, i.e., what will take place;
• describe how the proposed activity/activities meet the needs;
• include a workplan showing when each activity would take place; and
• identify the staff position(s) that will carry out the project, e.g., full-time project coordinator and part-time cultural worker.

If any of the proposed activities are a continuation of those carried out in the previous fiscal year please describe how the activity has evolved, and/or why the activity is to be continued/repeated.

* Please note that proposals for projects which include young Aboriginal adults ages 25-29 will be required to provide an explanation of why youth in this age group have been included.

Expected results

The proposal must describe the expected results of the proposed activity/activities, i.e., who is expected to benefit and how, performance indicators used, and how these results relate to the project objectives.

The performance indicators should include:

• Quantitative indicators related to the project, e.g., number of workshops, number of participants, etc.; and
• Qualitative indicators that describe the impact of the project, e.g., as a result of the workshop, the participants gained knowledge/awareness/capacity in XYZ, etc.

Budget

The proposal must include:

• a detailed budget and a signed, authorized monthly cashflow that clearly links to the proposed activity/activities, and that provides a breakdown of administrative costs;
• budget notes that show how amounts were calculated;
• information on any other funds requested for the proposed activity/activities, including the source of funds, and how they are to be applied against the budget;
• an estimate of the total revenue of the project for the fiscal year in question, including the funding sources; and
• details on how any equipment costing $1,000 or more will be used or disposed of when the project is over.

N.B.: Equipment purchase/lease/rental directly related to the project may be included in the budget under the following conditions:

• each item is identified and costed;
• an explanation of the need/use of the item is provided;
• the total cost of the equipment purchase/lease/rental does not exceed 15% of the total amount approved after salary costs are deducted.

Partnerships

The proposal must identify any organizations and institutions that will be involved in meeting the objectives of the proposal, and clearly identify the role that they will play in the project.

Reporting

The proposal must commit to providing timely activity, evaluation, and financial reports and other related information, as requested by the Department. For detailed reporting requirements, please refer to the "Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth Community Project Reporting Guide".

Support

The proposal must include:

• a minimum of three letters of support from the community to be served, including letters from individuals within the target group to be served, and from community service organizations; and
• the name(s) of any organization(s) with which the applicant organization is affiliated.

Recognition

The applicant must describe how the APP contribution will be recognized in a way that ensures that both the participants and, to the fullest extent possible, the community are aware of the support provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Notes

^[1] Each position covered by salaries must be identified along with the rate of pay for each.

^[2] The organization is required to maintain an inventory of all materials and equipment costing in excess of $1,000.00.

^[3] In the case of travel, the rate of reimbursement may not exceed Treasury Board Guidelines on travel expenses as found at:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/TBM_113/td-dv-c_e.asp