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 41 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.
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41
university and college based network members
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1,000
undergraduate students employed each year
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350,000
inspired youth each year
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1,000
volunteers delivering STEM workshops
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1,750,000
1 million face to face hours
How We are Different
Actua has engaged over 5,000,000 youth in Canada over 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 increased investment 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 youth in Canada 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Outreach Team
Actua's Outreach Team is a group of STEM instructors from across Canada who deliver programming in far reaching areas not currently served by our network members. Actua's Outreach Team currently delivers across the Canadian Arctic as well as other remote and underserved communities.
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.
Impact
Actua's impact is demonstrated through extensive, independent, and evidence-based research. The research has confirmed that Actua is creating positive and significant changes in the attitudes and behaviours of youth in Canada toward STEM, and is increasing the likelihood that youth will pursue STEM studies and careers.
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Jennifer Flanagan
President and CEO
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Christina Dornan
Executive Assistant to the CEO and Office Manager
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Marliina Pollard
Controller
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Katrina King
Director, Communications
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Doug Dokis
Director, Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) Program
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Tracy Ross
Director of Network Membership
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Valeria Iannitti
Director of Development and Partnerships
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Jenifer Spencer
Director of Education and Outreach
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Virginia Hall
Director of Operations and Research
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Mark Zwicker
Director of Information and Systems Management
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Laura Bouwman
Senior Manager, Network Membership
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Kaitlynn Carroll
Senior Manager, Partner Relations
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Lauren Dickhout
Senior Manager, Outreach
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Aaron Hobbs
Program Specialist, Early Career Development
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Noreen Demeria
Manager, Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) Program
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Emmanuelle Provost
Manager, Communications
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Lara Vronick
Development and Special Projects Coordinator
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Julia Filiplic
Network Member Services Coordinator
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Abbey Ramdeo
Specialist, Equity Education and Teacher Training
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Jonathan Weber
Specialist, Coding Education
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Alicia Henderson
Outreach and Content Specialist
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Mackenzie Golding
Outreach Coordinator
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Mikayla Ellis
Outreach Coordinator
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Aimen Aziz
Outreach and Content Specialist
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Naomi Bender
Outreach and Content Specialist
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Dan Munro
Researcher in Residence
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Susan Holt, Chair
Vice-President, Strategy & Communications, PQA Testing
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Jan O'Donnell, Treasurer
Independent Contract CFO
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Jennifer Flanagan, Secretary
CEO, Actua
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Kim Warburton, Director
Vice-President Corporate and Public Affairs, TD Bank Group
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Kluane Adamek, Director
Assembly of First Nations
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Kris Smith, Director
Executive Vice President, Refining & Marketing, Suncor Energy
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Mary Wabano-McKay, Director
Niiyaagaaniid Vice President Anishinaabe Initiatives and Student Success, Algoma University
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Marshall Self, Director
Director; Finance, Insurance & Travel, Google
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Melisa Yestrau, Director
Director, Science Venture, University of Victoria
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Trevor Cuddy, Director
Director, Continuing Professional Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
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Tyler Wish, Director
CEO, NAC Bio
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Mackenzie Golding
Outreach Coordinator
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Mikayla Ellis
Outreach Coordinator
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Aimen Aziz
Outreach and Content Specialist
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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.
Employment
Actua is growing and looking to expand our team with the following available positions.
Manager of Education
Ottawa, ON
Actua has an immediate opening for a Manager of Education This is a one-year contract based in Ottawa, Ontario. Please click here for more details about the position.
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.
Multimedia Designer
Ottawa, ON
Actua has an immediate opening for a Multimedia Designer. This is a one-year contract based in Ottawa, Ontario. Please click here for more details about the position.
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.
Administrative Assistant
Ottawa, ON
Actua has an immediate opening for an Administrative Assistant. This is a full-time, one-year contract based in Ottawa, Ontario. Click here for more details about the position.
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.