Forum for Young Canadians / Forum pour jeunes Canadiens

What Forum for Young Canadians / Forum pour jeunes Canadiens does

Forum for Young Canadians (Forum pour jeunes Canadiens) is a non-partisan youth civic engagement program founded in 1974 and operated as a signature initiative of the Rideau Hall Foundation, a Canadian national charitable organization based at 9 Rideau Gate, Ottawa. Over 50 years, the program has served more than 25,000 youth aged 14-18 from across Canada, delivering immersive education on parliamentary democracy, Indigenous and northern governance, and civic participation through direct engagement with national political leaders.

The organization's core product is the National Summit, a week-long in-person program held three times annually in Ottawa (February 8-13, March 8-13, and March 22-27 for the 2026 cycle), hosting 300 participants per week and covering all travel, meals, and accommodation. Accepted participants pay a CAD 995 participation fee, with bursaries available. Complementing the National Summit is Summit 360, a three-day virtual immersive event launched in April 2024 for students aged 14-18, partially funded by the Government of Canada. The My Canada Project, nationalized under Forum in 2023, is a multimedia submission platform inviting youth to express what Canada means to them. Forum Digital, an online asynchronous learning centre connecting alumni year-round, is announced as forthcoming. The underlying technology is a standard web-based platform serving as the primary interface for program information, applications, and resource distribution; no proprietary technology stack or AI capabilities are disclosed.

Forum's revenue model combines program participation fees (CAD 995 per National Summit participant), philanthropic and corporate donations, and government funding, including partial support from the Government of Canada for Summit 360. The go-to-market motion is application-based and event-driven: youth are recruited annually through school networks, digital marketing, and community outreach, with applications closing on a fixed date for each cohort. The program is delivered free of additional charge to participants for travel and accommodation, positioning it as a heavily subsidized civic education experience rather than a market-rate product.

Name

Forum for Young Canadians / Forum pour jeunes Canadiens

Legal name

Forum for Young Canadians / Forum pour jeunes Canadiens

Website

https://forum.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forum for Young Canadians is a non-partisan youth civic engagement program of the Rideau Hall Foundation, founded in 1974. It delivers week-long Ottawa summits, virtual events, and multimedia initiatives to more than 25,000 Canadian youth aged 14-18 alumni.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Education Programs

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Youth civic education
• Parliamentary education programs
• Youth leadership summits
• Civic engagement programs
• Educational event programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Participation Fees: A participation fee of $995 is required from accepted participants to help offset program costs, which include fully covered travel, meals, and accommodations during the week-long Ottawa summit.
2. Philanthropic Donations: Donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting the youth civic engagement mission. Supported by the Rideau Hall Foundation's donor network.
3. Government Funding: Funding from government supporters including the Government of Canada, which partially funds Summit 360.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Forum for Young Canadians delivers youth civic engagement programming in Canada, anchored by a week-long National Summit held three times annually in Ottawa for youth aged 15-18. It complements the in-person summit with a virtual three-day Summit 360 experience for ages 14-18, the multimedia My Canada Project initiative inviting creative submissions from coast to coast to coast, and online resources/publications—all focused on deepening young Canadians' understanding of parliamentary democracy, leadership, and the national decision-making process.

Product overview

Forum for Young Canadians is a youth civic engagement organization offering four interconnected programs. The flagship is the National Summit, a week-long in-person Ottawa event for 15-18 year olds. Complementing it is Summit 360, a three-day virtual immersive experience for ages 14-18 featuring interactive workshops and Parliament tours. The My Canada Project invites youth nationwide to express what Canada means to them through multimedia submissions. Forum Digital provides an online learning platform for continued asynchronous engagement. Together, these programs serve over 25,000 youth alumni over 50 years, delivered by the Rideau Hall Foundation as a non-partisan national charitable organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Summit A week-long, in-person immersive program in Ottawa where Canadian youth aged 15-18 explore civic engagement, meet national leaders including MPs and Senators, and build leadership and community-engagement skills. Three sessions run annually, with all travel, meals, and accommodation fully covered; accepted participants pay a $995 participation fee and bursaries are available.
• Summit 360 A three-day immersive virtual learning experience for Canadian students aged 14-18, featuring interactive workshops, virtual tours of Parliament, plenaries with officials such as the Chief Electoral Officer, a youth civics fair, and networking sessions with Parliamentarians. Designed as an accessible entry point to the Forum community.
• My Canada Project A national multimedia initiative inviting Canadian youth aged 14-18 to reflect on and share what Canada means to them through creative submissions (essays, poems, videos, artwork, photography) in any language and any format. An online submission portal and public submission gallery support the initiative.
• Resources and Publications Public reports and publications on youth civic engagement including the Youth Engagement Executive Summary, the Future of Youth Civic Engagement infographic (with Abacus Data), National Advisory Council 2021-2022 materials, and the Learning Loss as Civic Loss report (with Samara Centre for Democracy).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 youth from across Canada have been served over 50 years
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great Canadian Holidays (founder of My Canada Project)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020My Canada Project began in 2020 as a personal initiative by Lorna Hundt, CEO of Great Canadian Holidays. It started as an essay-writing competition for Grade 8 students in Kitchener-Waterloo. In 2023, the MCP transitioned to the Rideau Hall Foundation as a Forum initiative.
• Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum for Young Canadians is a signature program of the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF). The RHF is a non-partisan national charitable organization that amplifies and supports the past, present and future impact of Canada's Governor General and seeks to engage all Canadians in the core elements of Canadian democracy. The RHF provides organizational, financial, and strategic support to Forum.
• Government of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummit 360 is funded in part by the Government of Canada. The government provides financial support for the virtual youth civic engagement programming.
• Catapult CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on the Forum website, suggesting collaborative support for youth innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Canadian Innovation SpaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting Forum's ecosystem of youth engagement and innovation.
• Arctic Inspiration PrizeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization recognizing and supporting northern and Indigenous youth initiatives.
• Governor General's Innovation AwardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization recognizing Canadian innovation excellence.
• Michener AwardsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization recognizing public service journalism and civic contribution.
• Queen Elizabeth ScholarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner scholarship program supporting exceptional Canadian students.
• Ingenious+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting Indigenous youth innovation and leadership.
• Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference (GGCLC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing leadership development opportunities for Canadian youth.
• Abacus DataminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner that conducted a comprehensive consultation for the RHF, speaking to over 2,700 individuals tied to youth engagement to understand the future of youth civic engagement in Canada (summer 2021).
• Samara Centre for DemocracyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with RHF in fall 2022 to produce the 'Learning Loss as Civic Loss' report addressing the generational impact of COVID-19 on youth democratic engagement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• iCivics: iCivics is a US-based non-profit founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that provides free civics education games and resources to schools across the US. It is comparable in mission and digital-first civic education delivery, but operates primarily in the US education system rather than Canada.
• Generation Citizen: Generation Citizen is a US-based non-profit that brings civic education into schools, working with students aged 14-18 on action civics projects. It is comparable as a direct peer in youth civic education programming and methodology, though it primarily operates in the United States rather than Canada.

Emerging players

• 4-H Canada: 4-H Canada is a national youth development organization with deep rural and agricultural roots, focused on leadership, citizenship, and community engagement for youth aged 6-21. It is comparable in its youth leadership and civic engagement mission, though its programming breadth (agriculture, STEM) extends beyond Forum's political/governance focus.
• TakingITGlobal: TakingITGlobal is a Canadian-based international non-profit that engages youth in social issues through digital platforms and global citizenship education. It is comparable as a peer in digitally-enabled youth civic engagement, though it operates globally and with a broader social-issues focus than Forum's parliamentary/government mandate.
• Enactus Canada: Enactus Canada is a national non-profit that engages post-secondary students in leadership, entrepreneurship, and social impact projects. It is comparable as a youth-focused Canadian leadership and civic engagement program, but targets an older (university-aged) demographic and emphasizes entrepreneurship over political literacy.
• Historica Canada: Historica Canada creates educational programs and resources about Canadian history, including the Citizenship Challenge. It is comparable as a Canadian non-profit delivering civic and citizenship education to youth, though its content is history-focused rather than directly political-engagement focused.

Direct peers

• Samara Centre for Democracy: Samara is a Canadian non-partisan charity dedicated to strengthening democracy through research, public engagement, and education — including the 'Learning Loss as Civic Loss' report co-produced with RHF. It is a direct peer in mission, demographic, and methodology, operating in the same civic engagement space in Canada.
• CIVIX Canada: CIVIX is a Canadian non-profit focused specifically on youth civic education, including Student Vote programs and democracy education. It is the closest direct peer to Forum, sharing the same target demographic (Canadian youth 14-18) and mission of increasing democratic engagement, though it leans more heavily on classroom-based and digital formats.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada is a major national youth services organization providing after-school programming, leadership development, and civic engagement for Canadian youth. It is comparable as a broad youth development peer with leadership and civic engagement components, though its scope spans many other areas (sports, education, health).
• YMCA Canada: YMCA Canada is one of Canada's largest youth-serving non-profits, offering leadership programs, civic engagement, and community development opportunities. It is comparable as a broad national youth development organization with civic engagement programming, though civic education is one of many service areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forum4YC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Forum4YC
• Facebookfacebook.com/96421518008
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forum-for-young-canadians
• Instagraminstagram.com/forum4yc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Forum for Young Canadians / Forum pour jeunes Canadiens