Frequently Asked Questions for Micro-grants

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To be eligible for the Micro-grants Program, you must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or refugee, between the ages 15-30.  

There are various examples, and the possibilities are vast within each track, including research projects, short videos, data analysis, digital products and services, and community outreach initiatives like tutoring refugee youth, assisting with housing, and offering educational sessions for newcomers. As long as your project aligns with GLOCAL's goal of providing civic knowledge to Canadians, it's a fantastic starting point!

The early action deadline for submitting your application materials (including project proposal, timeline, and budget plan) is August 31, 2024.

The final deadline for submitting your project proposal is November 15, 2024. (Please consult the Microgrants page for the most up-to-date information.)

You can submit your application at any time before this date, but we encourage early submission to allow for improvement and refinement. After you apply, our team will review and provide feedback to strengthen your project proposals. We review applications on a rolling basis. 

We aim to provide 160 micro-grants. The amount of funding depends on the needs of your project (from a few hundred to a maximum limit of $5,000 for one project).

An outline of your planned research, quick film, digital initiative, or other cutting-edge civic engagement tools and content should be included in the project proposal. Additionally, it should make it abundantly obvious how your project seeks to fulfill at least one of the three objectives listed by GLOCAL:

• Assisting communities of immigrants and/or refugees in better understanding Canada.
• Enabling a greater understanding of immigrant and/or refugee groups in Canada among the general public.
• Assisting Canadians in improving their civic literacy.

Eligible applicants are allowed to apply for one project per year. 

You may also propose a multi-year project focused on a different theme, phase, or type of activity. For example, someone hoping to create an oral history project on their community can apply for a micro-grant in the first year to conduct interviews with 50 community members. In the second year, they could apply for funding to create a documentary on the same theme. In the third year, they could develop a research and survey project related to the oral history theme.

At GLOCAL Foundation of Canada, we understand that each project may face unique challenges and timelines. While we encourage applicants to engage with our mentors during project planning, we acknowledge that unforeseen circumstances may arise. If you find yourself unable to complete your micro-grant project by the submission deadline, it's essential to communicate your situation as early as possible. By consulting with our mentors, you can explore potential solutions, including the option to submit a demo or partial project with justification for larger projects. We are committed to supporting our grantees and finding suitable solutions for timely delivery while considering individual project circumstances through open mentor communication and support.

If you need mentorship support regarding your project, we recommend joining our office hours and introducing yourself to a participant success manager. During these dedicated sessions, you will have the opportunity to engage in discussions with our staff members and receive guidance in polishing your project ideation. Participant Success Managers are also available via Discord and email. 

Our staff members are experienced and knowledgeable in various areas of civic engagement and social innovation. They can provide valuable insights and advice on aspects such as project feasibility, workload management, impact assessment, resource allocation, and potentially pair you up with similar-minded peers.

Yes, at GLOCAL Foundation of Canada, you can add more members to your group project after your application. We actively encourage collaboration, as diverse perspectives, skills, and contributions can enhance the collective knowledge and impact of your team. Please consult your project mentor or designated point of contact for support and clarification if you need assistance in integrating new team members into your project!

Certainly! While we recommend being concise and focused in your project proposal, there is no strict word count limit. Providing sufficient information is essential for the evaluation process. Include as many relevant details about your project idea, goals, methodology, and expected outcomes as you can. Striking a balance between comprehensiveness and conciseness will help evaluators quickly understand the scope and impact of your project.

Yes, you can complete the project in English and/or French.

No! At GLOCAL, we aim to support youth-led initiatives with mentorship, feedback, and resources. If your application was waitlisted, it doesn’t mean rejection. This decision is often due to reasons such as:

• Funding requests that don’t meet government requirements, such as purchases of expensive equipment, self-compensation, or activities involving procurement and distribution of commercial goods.
• Proposals that are too vague or lack clear, quantifiable goals and evaluation indicators.
• Activities that don’t fully align with the micro-grant’s objectives.
• Proposals that seem overly ambitious or lack a convincing plan for completion.

We’d love to work with you to enhance your proposal and bring it closer to approval. Please feel free to book a meeting with us, and we’ll help you refine and revise your proposal for the best chance of success.

Check out our Tips for Success for ways to strengthen your proposal. For help with designing a detailed budget, see our Budget Guidelines and Template.

GLOCAL Foundation of Canada is a national not-for-profit organization with offices in Ottawa, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. Their mission is to encourage civic participation through local government and global understanding among Canadian youth. They empower young Canadians to contribute to digital infrastructure development for civic engagement, involving fields like construction, design, and engineering. Prioritizing creative problem-solving, GLOCAL addresses challenges related to civic information accessibility, misinformation, and information overload. Their primary objective is to foster an inclusive community and serve as an incubator for social innovation while promoting active youth participation in shaping Canada’s civic landscape.

GLOCAL focuses on digital civic engagement and youth participation. Our flagship project YouCount.ca provides online profiles of political representatives at various government levels and non-partisan resources for Canadians. We strive for inclusivity, demystifying Canada's political institutions and democratic processes for all communities. GLOCAL improves public information accessibility through digital initiatives and community outreach. We are committed to combating misinformation and information overload in the digital age, aiming for an informed and engaged citizenry.

GLOCAL is the organization that runs YouCount. YouCount is our flagship product website that helps individuals find their political representatives to better inform their voting decisions. As the only one-stop digital platform for information exchange between Canadians and their respective political representatives at the three levels of government, YouCount plays a unique role in navigating Canadian political institutions.  

At GLOCAL, as a staff member or volunteer, you'll have the chance to contribute your skills and passions in various areas of civic knowledge and digital infrastructure building. With six tracks to explore, including research, data, social media, digital (design and development), community outreach, and compliance, you can engage in exciting activities ranging from fun challenges to sophisticated projects. We are committed to tailoring your experience, putting you at the forefront of digital civic engagement and interdisciplinary social innovation. Beyond tasks and projects, you'll have access to workshops, events, seminars, and team-building activities, enriching your academic and professional development. In a dynamic, supportive, and inclusive environment, we aim to empower you to make a meaningful impact while fostering your personal and professional growth.

Yes! You may not be eligible for some of our programs, but we always welcome more mentors and experienced professionals to join us. We appreciate the skills, expertise, and experiences you bring to the table!

Now is the time to start volunteering! GLOCAL's experience is hands-off due to many volunteers and automated processes. However, you can still get help from us. Reach out on Discord or by email for assistance. You can also contact the track managers for each track. You are free to choose tasks you're passionate about from various tracks. Work on a task, log it in your work journal, and get feedback from our staff memebers. Stay tuned on email and Discord for workshop and event announcements, which can count towards your volunteer hours. Get ready for a fulfilling volunteering experience at GLOCAL!

Work journals are hours filled out for your records! Which is mainly for the research team. Otherwise, we will record all your work hours for you when you submit your hours + tasks in our task submission form system.

Tracks are what we call our organization’s specialized work teams, where you can delve deeper into a specific set of tasks. Here are the tracks that we have at GLOCAL:

Research: Conducting and assembling information for different research topics, such as our current homelessness project.

Data: Compiling information from databases, such as the many municipalities across Canada.

Outreach: Recruiting and onboarding volunteers, along with reaching out to potential partner organizations.

Digital Services and Products: Handling our websites (youcount.ca, volunteer.youcount.ca), working on UX/UI, and gamification.

Communications/Social Media: Promoting events and workshops, copywriting, and creating content for our social media accounts.

Your tasks at GLOCAL will often fall under these tracks. We also encourage you to specify your preferred track, in order to meet with the track’s leader to get supervision, advice, and support.

• Tasks assigned to you
• Attendance and participation in our meetings, events and workshops
• Involvement in civic discussions on our Discord
• Contributions to team projects and social media content, such as the fun team photo collage
• Engagement in research projects
• Emails you wrote to legislators

This is just a short list - we encourage you to reach out to your supervisor and/or volunteer coordinator to ask about other opportunities and their eligibility towards your 120 required hours at NYSN. 

To request a recommendation letter or volunteer hours certificate, please fill out the Google Form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_FMUMTyEt4JlA1ldTlJax0ubgqlKXLuBrMmYGAZBRsYuPiQ/viewform

• You can request a record of your volunteer hours at any time
• For a recommendation letter, a minimum of 40 hours is required before submitting a request
• A reference request must be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance

Filling out this form provides our team with the necessary information to create a certificate or recommendation letter that is personalized and based on your contributions and achievements. 

If you have any questions or need assistance with the process, please don't hesitate to reach out to our volunteer coordinator or the designated point of contact for recommendations.

On Discord, there is a channel dedicated for help in each track. Click on the button “needs help” for a Participant Success Manager to get to your request. Alternatively, feel free to email any of the participant success managers provided below:

admin@glocalfoundation.ca

danielle.jbeili@glocalfoundation.ca

If you prefer to talk face-to-face, join our daily office hours!

Here is the schedule: https://glocalfoundation.ca/get-involved-1

Volunteering at GLOCAL is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. Here are a few ways to expand your social circle:  

• Participate in discussions, share ideas, and contribute positively to the community on Discord.
• Take part in the workshops and networking events organized by the GLOCAL Foundation.
• Take the initiative to introduce yourself and engage in conversations with others.
• Embrace teamwork and collaboration during group projects.
  
  

Remember, building new friendships requires mutual respect, empathy, and consideration for the well-being of others! Using basic etiquette, respecting different viewpoints, and being mindful of safety and cyber security are crucial for maintaining the positive and secure environment within our community.

We wish you the best in forming meaningful connections and fostering a respectful and safe social environment at the GLOCAL Foundation of Canada. 

For technical support, feel free to reach out to admin@glocalfoundation.ca, hill.p@glocalfoundation.ca or joseph.ong@glocalfoundation.ca and we will do our best to assist you! 

All of the files and resources you need can be found in the NYSN Participants shared drive. Here, you will find useful documents such as this FAQ and our Discord FAQ, along with other materials that will assist you in getting started with your journey at GLOCAL.

If you have any difficulty locating specific files or need additional assistance, please reach out to our volunteer coordinator or the designated point of contact for file access.

Our office hours can be found in the following schedule below, and take place over Google Meet. There are track specific office hours, as well as time to meet with our executive director, Faye!

During these hours, participant success managers will be present for you to ask questions about anything GLOCAL related. Our team is here to help, so we encourage you to stop by if you need any assistance.

The GLOCAL newsletter is how we share what we’re up to with all of our team members. There is a section dedicated to providing recognition to our most active participants, and anyone that our team would like to shoutout. If you are attending workshops, submitting excellent tasks, or are simply active on discord and are asking questions - you are demonstrating initiative and will be featured! Our newsletters are sent out often, so do not be discouraged if you are not featured. 

The task submission form allows the GLOCAL team to look at your submissions and provide feedback to you, along with tracking your hours. This is also a place where you can provide feedback to us on how we can improve. Each time you complete a task, fill out the questions in the form to have your hours recorded and feedback provided on your work.

After completing your 120 hours of volunteering, GLOCAL acknowledges your work by awarding you an official certificate of achievement. Many of our dedicated volunteers receive work opportunities and job recommendations based on their performance!

Completing your hours is just the beginning of a potential long-term service with GLOCAL. You can continue to work and log hours, expand your impact, and contribute to the organization’s mission of civic engagement. 

The safety and well-being of our volunteers are of utmost importance to us. We urge all volunteers and participants to be vigilant to cybersecurity issues, scams, abusive language, or inappropriate behaviours to ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved.

We want to emphasize that GLOCAL staff will never ask for any form of payment. If you encounter any suspicious requests or communications claiming to be from GLOCAL staff, please exercise caution and refrain from sharing sensitive information. 

Please report any such incidents or concerns immediately to admin@glocalfoundation.ca or directly reach out to any staff member so that appropriate actions can be taken.

Thank you for your commitment to maintaining our positive and secure online volunteer community!