Placement opportunities may include the following:

• Growing food in farms, school/community gardens or other urban and rural agriculture initiatives.
• Coordinating or supporting food literacy events and educational workshops.
• Assisting with meal preparation, food packaging, and distribution efforts.
• Providing administrative, project management, or communications support. 

This is not an exhaustive list, and other activities may be possible. Additionally, service placements can feature a range of tasks throughout the 12 months, providing youth with the opportunity to gain experience in diverse aspects of food systems and environmental fields. Placements are collaboratively designed to align with both your organization’s objectives and volunteer interests.

Hosts will play an active role in co-creating placements that align with organizational needs and the interests of participating youth. In addition to providing the youth with an orientation to their role, host staff may also be required to supervise volunteers during their assigned shifts. The degree of supervision required may depend on the nature of the role and volunteers’ capabilities. Regional program staff will also conduct regular check-ins (virtual or in-person) with hosts to discuss how the placement is going and to offer any additional support. 

Youth volunteers will commit a total of 120 hours to complete the Rise Up! Program. Youth will also be completing online educational modules and participating in events such as webinars and in-person gatherings, which all contribute to their 120 hours. That means that youth will most likely be spending between 40-60 hours volunteering with your organization. Youth will have up to 12 months to complete their 120 hours. Scroll up at the Rise Up! Time Commitment section or the Rise Up! Timeline section to see the project timeline and service placement hour breakdown for more details!

Organizations can choose to host one or more youth, depending on their capacity. Most organizations typically host between one and three youth volunteers for service placements.  

Yes! Regional Rise Up staff may provide support for volunteer supervision, depending on factors such as the nature and location of the service placement, the level of supervision required, and the volunteer’s schedule. However, host organizations are still expected to provide a certain level of supervision themselves. Additionally, organizations can collaborate with Rise Up staff to co-design placements that align with organizational capacity and resources. 

Yes! Organizations both with and without existing youth volunteer programs are welcome to participate. If you don’t already have a volunteer program, this would be a great opportunity to help expand your organization’s capacity and receive support from motivated volunteers to advance your initiatives, while receiving youth engagement support from Rise Up and City Hive staff.

If you are interested in becoming a host organization, reach out to the program’s regional lead (see our “Meet the Team” page for contact information). They may schedule a 30-minute informational chat to get to know you and your organization’s goals. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to attend a provincial virtual information session (see our “events” page), where you’ll receive further details about participation. Once you confirm your interest in joining, the regional lead will provide you with an onboarding package and work closely with you to define volunteer roles.

Youth volunteers are matched with host organizations through the digital Rise Up Volunteer platform. As a host organization, you will post your opportunities on the platform. Volunteers can then browse and apply for positions that align with their interests, and host organizations will review these applications before accepting a volunteer. You can message an applicant or set up a meeting or phone call as well, if you would like to get to know them before deciding. You will receive a platform user guide as part of your onboarding package to help you navigate the site smoothly. 

No prior experience working with youth volunteers is necessary to participate. CityHive offers a workshop on best practices in youth engagement, designed to equip your organization with the skills and knowledge needed to create a meaningful and impactful experience for both your team and the volunteers. This support will ensure that you feel confident and well-prepared to meaningfully engage with volunteers.

Yes, host organizations can extend volunteer placements or transition volunteers into longer-term roles beyond the program’s conclusion at the end of each cohort (either Spring of 2026 or 2027). Any continued involvement, however, will fall outside the scope of the Rise Up program and must be managed independently between the volunteer and your organization.