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Actua is a national charity that is preparing youth, age 6-26, to be innovators and leaders by engaging them in exciting and accessible STEM experiences that build critical employability skills and confidence.

How We Deliver

Actua engages youth through two main mechanisms: a national network of 40 university and college-based members, and a national Outreach Team. Together we inspire over 350,000 youth each year, reaching every province and territory in Canada through summer camps, classroom workshops, clubs, teacher training, and community outreach activities.

How We are Different

Actua has engaged over 5,000,000 Canadian youth in the past 25 years and the organization has evolved significantly. What has remained the same is our unwavering focus on engaging the hardest to reach youth in Canada ensuring they have the opportunity to develop essential STEM skills. We have also remained committed to hiring undergraduate students, lots of them, who deliver programs across Canada, getting valuable work experience while developing even stronger employability skills. Actua’s focus is on helping youth to recognize they are leaders today in their communities while also bolstering their skills and confidence to become the innovators of tomorrow. We do this in partnership with leading universities, colleges, corporations, communities and governments at all levels.

A National Voice for Youth in STEM

As a nationally recognized voice for STEM education and outreach, Actua is a strong advocate for the critical importance of early engagement in STEM. We use that national voice to advocate for increasedinvestment in youth STEM programs and to specifically bring attention to the ongoing underrepresentation of key groups in STEM fields. Actua is frequently called upon to speak on our vast program experience and policy expertise through conference presentations, media interviews, community events and social media. We actively share our research findings and experiences with a broad community in order to advance understanding and innovation in the field of STEM engagement.

Network Members

Actua is a network-based organization and we proudly represent and support 40 university and college-based network members. These amazing organizations embody Actua’s commitment to engaging all young Canadians in hands-on STEM and to breaking barriers to youth participation in STEM studies and careers. Network members deliver a host of on and off campus programming including significant outreach work within their local communities and beyond. This outreach is what contributes to the network’s collective impact of reaching 500 communities in every province and territory each year.

  • Camps: Network members offer week-long day camp experiences mainly in July and August (and during March Breaks where applicable). Camps offer a wide variety of STEM activities, with many specialty camps offering specific themed weeks. Both co-ed and all-girls camps are offered.
    Camps:

    Network members offer week-long day camp experiences mainly in July and August (and during March Breaks where applicable). Camps offer a wide variety of STEM activities, with many specialty camps offering specific themed weeks. Both co-ed and all-girls camps are offered.

  • Workshops: Network members deliver school workshops that meet the required learning outcomes of provincial or territorial curricula.Teachers can select from a variety of STEM themes and book workshops directly through a local network member program.
    Workshops:

    Network members deliver school workshops that meet the required learning outcomes of provincial or territorial curricula.Teachers can select from a variety of STEM themes and book workshops directly through a local network member program.

  • Clubs: Many of our network members offer year-round after-school club experiences, giving youth opportunities to deepen their engagement in STEM. Some clubs are co-ed and others offer an all-girls option.
    Clubs:

    Many of our network members offer year-round after-school club experiences, giving youth opportunities to deepen their engagement in STEM. Some clubs are co-ed and others offer an all-girls option.

Find a Local Program

Outreach Team

Actua’s Outreach instructors are a team of dynamic, diverse, engaging leaders who are committed to delivering fun, hands‐on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs for youth. Our “for youth by youth” model is extremely effective at helping young people build self‐confidence, connect with role models like them, and engage with STEM programming in an inclusive and safe space.

Actua’s Outreach team delivers programming primarily in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities that are not yet served by our network members. We work in partnership with communities; engaging local Indigenous volunteers and/or Elders who share their traditional knowledge and integrate cultural experiences into our camps. In this way, we connect youth to what they already intrinsically know about STEM from within their own community context and we ensure that the programming we deliver remains relevant and meaningful.

Our Outreach Team delivers school workshops, week-long summer camps, and community science events in Indigenous, northern, rural, and remote communities across Canada.

Leadership

  • Jennifer Flanagan

    President and CEO
  • Christina Dornan

    Executive Assistant to the CEO and Office Manager

  • Leslie Cuthbertson

    Chief Operating Officer

  • Marliina Pollard

    Controller

  • Doug Dokis

    Director, Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) Program

  • Tracy Ross

    Director of Network Membership

  • Valeria Iannitti

    Director of Development and Partnerships

  • Jenifer Spencer

    Director of Education and Outreach

  • Virginia Hall

    Director of Operations and Research

  • Mark Zwicker

    Director of Information and Systems Management

  • Laura Bouwman

    Senior Manager, Network Membership

  • Kaitlynn Carroll

    Senior Manager, Partner Relations

  • Caitlin Quarrington

    Senior Manager, Education

  • Lauren Dickhout

    Senior Manager, Outreach

  • Noreen Demeria

    Manager, Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) Program

  • Alicia Henderson

    Manager, Outreach Content & Logistics

  • Emmanuelle Provost

    Manager, Communications

  • Lara Vronick

    Development and Special Projects Coordinator

  • Julia Filiplic

    Network Member Services Coordinator

  • Emily Hartman

    National Girls Program Coordinator

  • Abbey Ramdeo

    Specialist, Equity Education and Teacher Training

  • Jonathan Weber

    Specialist, Coding Education

  • Amanda Herr

    Administrative Assistant

  • Mackenzie Golding

    Outreach Coordinator

  • Mikayla Ellis

    Outreach Coordinator

  • Aimen Aziz

    Outreach and Content Specialist

  • Naomi Bender

    Outreach and Content Specialist

  • Dan Munro

    Researcher in Residence

  • Susan Holt, Chair

    Vice-President, Strategy & Communications, PQA Testing

  • Jan O'Donnell, Treasurer

    Independent Contract CFO

  • Jennifer Flanagan, Secretary

    CEO, Actua
  • Kim Warburton, Director

    Vice-President Corporate and Public Affairs, TD Bank Group

  • Melisa Yestrau, Director

    Director, Science Venture, University of Victoria

  • Trevor Cuddy, Director

    Director, Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

  • Kris Smith, Director

    Executive Vice President, Refining & Marketing, Suncor Energy

  • Marshall Self, Director

    Director; Finance, Insurance & Travel, Google

  • Tyler Wish, Director

    CEO, NAC Bio

  • Kluane Adamek, Director

    Assembly of First Nations

  • Mackenzie Golding

    Outreach Coordinator

  • Mikayla Ellis

    Outreach Coordinator

  • Aimen Aziz

    Outreach and Content Specialist

  • Naomi Bender

    Outreach and Content Specialist

Annual Reports

Supporters and Partners

Actua is fortunate to have world-class funders from the private sector, foundations and from all levels of government. The majority of our supporters have been with us over the long-term. We are known for our unique partnership approach that creates value and engagement far beyond financial contributions. We offer a range of investment opportunities at regional and national levels with demonstrated accountability and impact.

Please contact us for more information.

Supporters

                  Employment

                  Actua is growing and looking to expand our team with the following available positions.

                  Program Specialist, Early Career Development and Future Skills

                  Ottawa, Ontario

                  Actua has an immediate opening for the position of Project Specialist, Early Career Development and Future Skills. This is a full-time position based in Ottawa, Ontario.

                  Please click here for details on this job posting.

                  To apply, please complete the application form and upload your cover letter and resume in a single PDF document.

                  While we appreciate all applications, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

                  Digital Communications Specialist

                  Ottawa, Ontario

                  Actua has an immediate opening for a new position: Digital Communications Specialist. This is a full time position based in Ottawa, Ontario.

                  Please click here for details on this job posting.

                  To apply, please complete the application form, and upload your cover letter, resume and any work samples or professional portfolio in a single PDF document.

                  While we appreciate all applications, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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