The AtlantiCoopLab project is a Free 5 month program (November to March) designed for youth aged 18 to 30 living in the Maritimes. This program connects our different facilitators in Moncton and Halifax areas with groups of 10 to 12 youth from these regions, to allow them to learn about event organization and the cooperative movement.

Its objectives are to support youth in the development of their project management skills and in the creation of a solid network to help them integrate more easily into the labor market.

How does it work?

The local facilitator selects 10 to 12 youth to work together and take on the challenge of organizing a fundraising event in their community. Youth will organize a fundraising event that benefits, engages and inspires their community. This can be artistic, musical, service-oriented, cultural, health-related, sport, etc. (Service-related things can be sharing food, teaching a skill or creating an experience).The youth themselves will decide democratically on the type of event they wish to organize.

With the help of the facilitator, the youth learn about :

  • Organizing an event

  • Communications and marketing

  • Managing a budget

  • Finding sponsors 

  • Problem solving 

  • Team collaboration

  • Democratic governance

To do this, youth are organized as a board of directors and distribute the tasks between different committees which are : 

  • The executive board (a president, a vice-president, a secretary and a treasurer)

  • A human resources committee

  • A finance committee

  • And a marketing committee

  • At the end of the project, 50% of the funds raised during the event will be redistributed to a charity organization working in the fields of diversity and inclusion or environmental protection that the youth will have chosen. The other half will go back to the youth committee so that they can organize a celebration activity of their choice.

What are the program requirements?

  • Participate in the program for an average of 7 hours per week during the project, for a total of 120 hours at the end of the program.

  • Actively participate in the meetings and the organization of the event with the group.

  • Participate in training sessions organized by the facilitator

  • Participate in individual follow-up and support meetings with the facilitator of 1 hour every two weeks.

Who can apply?

  • Youth between 18 and 30 years old

  • Citizens and permanent residents 

  • People who live in Moncton and Halifax areas and are available for the duration of the project

Q&A

Is there a cost to participate?

No, this program is completely free for youth who wish to participate. Also, the project contributes to a portion of the travel and food costs for participation in the project.


If the event organization takes less than 120 hours of volunteer time to organize, what can I do?

This program is designed to meet a certain investment of volunteer time in the community. The project chosen will therefore normally require a total of 120 hours of volunteer time. If these hours are not fulfilled, the hours spent in the organization of a final activity can also be counted as volunteer hours.

Is there any money to organize the event?

AtlantiCooplab is providing $2000 to get the project started. The goal is for the youth to then go out and find sponsors to help fund their event.

For any question email us : atlanticooplab@cecnb.ca