Kawartha World Issues Centre

What Kawartha World Issues Centre does

Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) is a grassroots Canadian charitable organization founded in 1989 and headquartered at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, that connects local communities to global issues through three core program areas: Community Education (workshops, symposiums, panels, film screenings, and artist presentations featuring local and international guests), Youth & In-School Programs (mentorship, internships, volunteering, and in-classroom curriculum support including the TEACH Outside the Box Social Justice Certificate), and the KWIC Umbrella (a charitable status and capacity-building sponsor for emerging community initiatives such as Trent Oxfam and Sustainable Trent). Operating with a small core staff of approximately 8 employees supplemented by contract workers, students, and volunteers, KWIC reaches an estimated 400-500 youth annually through subsidized workshops and engages educators, community members, and seniors through programs like Climate Kinship (an intergenerational climate mentorship initiative) and the Nogojiwanong Youth Climate Action Hub.

Underlying 'technology' is intentionally minimal: there is no proprietary platform, no API, no SDK, and no AI/ML capability — the stack consists of a Drupal-hosted website (kwic.info), social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, X), email newsletter infrastructure, Zoom-based virtual workshops, and a digital directory/archive for the Nogojiwanong Youth Climate Action Hub. Program delivery relies on a Popular Education framework and peer mentorship model rather than technology products.

KWIC's revenue model is hybrid and donation-driven rather than commercial: it accepts one-time and recurring donations via CanadaHelps and e-transfer (including the $35/month Change-Raisers' Collective launched in 2024), applies for project-based grants from foundations (Laidlaw Foundation) and governments (Government of Canada New Horizons for Seniors Program; historical Global Affairs Canada funding), and charges sliding-scale workshop fees (typically $125-200 per workshop, with free youth climate workshops for the first 20 bookings). Customer segments are diverse and persona-driven — youth (ages 15-30), educators (partnering with Trent and Queen's B.Ed. programs), general community members, emerging community initiatives (via the umbrella), and seniors (via Climate Kinship) — with no disclosed paying customers in the enterprise or SMB commercial sense.

Name

Kawartha World Issues Centre

Legal name

Kawartha World Issues Centre

Website

https://kwic.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KWIC is a grassroots Canadian charity in Peterborough, Ontario, founded in 1989, that delivers community education, youth leadership programs, and intergenerational climate mentorship, and operates a charitable umbrella supporting emerging community initiatives across the Kawartha region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Education Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Community education programs
• Youth climate leadership
• Social justice workshops
• Charitable umbrella services
• Grassroots nonprofit support

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: KWIC relies heavily on charitable donations from individual donors, foundations, and community supporters. They have a monthly giving program called 'Change-Raisers' Collective' and accept one-time donations via CanadaHelps, e-transfer, and cheque.
2. Monthly Giving Program: The Change-Raisers' Collective is KWIC's monthly giving program where donors contribute $35 monthly to support educational programming, workshops, and mentorship activities.
3. Workshop Fees: KWIC offers workshops on a sliding scale fee structure, typically costing between $125-200 per workshop, with bulk rates for multiple bookings. Some workshops are offered free, particularly the first 20 bookings of Youth Climate Justice workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) is a grassroots charitable organization that delivers community-based educational programming on global and local social and environmental issues. It runs workshops for educators and youth, supports emerging community initiatives through a charitable umbrella model, and operates youth-focused climate and leadership programs in the Peterborough/Nogojiwanong region.

Product overview

Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) is a grassroots charitable organization that offers a portfolio of interconnected educational programs and community initiatives rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include the KWIC E.Y.E. Centre for Education | Youth | Environment (physical hub at Trent University), Community Education Programs (workshops, symposiums, panels), Youth & Schools Programs (mentorship, internships, leadership), and the KWIC Umbrella (charitable support for emerging projects). Supporting programs include Education Workshops for schools on SDGs and climate action, Climate Kinship (intergenerational mentorship), TEACH Outside the Box (social justice certificate), Returning to Mother Earth (gender equality and climate research), and the Nogojiwanong Youth Climate Action Hub (digital directory). The Change-Raisers' Collective provides monthly giving support. Together, these programs connect people to global issues and local initiatives through education, youth engagement, and community advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KWIC E.Y.E: Centre for Education | Youth | Environment: KWIC's centre for Education, Youth, and Environment located at Trent University, providing educational resources and programming.

Products and services

• Issue-Based Workshops for Educators
• Nogojiwanong Youth Climate Action Hub
• Climate Kinship Program
• Women's Health Community Tour
• Charitable Umbrella Services for Emerging Initiatives
• TEACH Outside the Box Educational Series
• Returning to Mother Earth Program
• Change-Raisers' Collective (Monthly Giving)

Quantifiable outcome

• 400-500 youth engaged annually through subsidized workshops
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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, historic and minor.

• For Our GrandchildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner organization for the Climate Kinship program, which connects youth (ages 15-30) with seniors (55+) for intergenerational climate action mentorship.
• Youth Leadership in Sustainability (YLS)historicOthers · 1 January 2023Historic project nurtured under KWIC Umbrella. YLS focuses on youth leadership in sustainability and environmental education.
• GreenUPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership project Advancing the SDGs in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough which prioritized Indigenous Leadership and the principle of Leave No One Behind.
• Inter ParesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2017International NGO partner for Women's Health Tour 2017, hosting community conversations with Likhaan Centre for Women's Health from the Philippines.
• Peterborough Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partner supporting the Women's Health Tour 2017 event with Inter Pares.
• Canadian Partnership for Women and Children's HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partner supporting the Women's Health Tour 2017 event.
• ReFrame Peterborough International Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2016Partnership for World Issues Cafe events following documentary film screenings, including Caleb Behn appearance in 2016 for 'Fractured Land' documentary.
• TEACH (Trent and community partners)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013KWIC collaborative with Trent and community partners for the TEACH Outside the Box Social Justice Certificate and Alternative Placement Program. Partners include KWIC, Trent School for Education and Professional Learning, TRACKS Program, Nourish, New Canadians Centre, and Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough.
• Trent Community Research Centre (TCRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 1999KWIC supports community-based, student research by hosting interns from the Trent Community Research Centre. Multiple research projects conducted since 1999 including youth-focused studies.
• Trent OxfamcoreOthersCurrently supported under KWIC's charitable umbrella. Trent Oxfam works on global issues and international development awareness.
• Sustainable TrentcoreOthersCurrently supported under KWIC's charitable umbrella. Sustainable Trent focuses on environmental sustainability initiatives at Trent University.
• TRACKS Youth ProgramhistoricStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partnership for youth environmental education. KWIC & TRACKS Project Launch documented in 2017.
• Trent UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain institutional partner providing office space and hosting programs. KWIC office is located at Trent University's Environmental Sciences Centre. Partners include Trent Indigenous Studies Program, First People's House of Learning, and Trent Education programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Equitas: Canadian-founded international human rights education organization. Comparable on the human-rights and social-justice education mandate, though it operates at significantly greater scale and international reach.
• David Suzuki Foundation: One of Canada's largest environmental non-profits combining advocacy, education, and community engagement. Operates adjacent to KWIC's climate and environmental justice work but at a national, foundation scale.
• Earth Day Canada: Larger national environmental charity running education and community programs on sustainability. Operates in the same environmental-education space as KWIC but at a broader, national scale.
• Citizens for Public Justice: National Canadian social-justice advocacy and education organization. Operates in the same civic-engagement and social-justice education domain as KWIC's community education programming, but at the federal policy level.

Direct peers

• TakingITGlobal: Toronto-based youth-engagement non-profit connecting young people to global issues — directly aligned with KWIC's Global Youth Day, youth leadership development, and global-issues-to-local-action programming.
• For Our Grandchildren: Active KWIC partner on the Climate Kinship program; a Canadian intergenerational climate-action organization focused on seniors engaging youth. Directly comparable on mission, target demographics, and program design.
• GreenUP: Peterborough-based environmental non-profit that was historically nurtured under KWIC's charitable umbrella. Operates in the same community on overlapping environmental-education and climate-action themes, making it the most directly comparable local peer.
• TRACKS Youth Program: Indigenous-focused youth environmental education program formerly incubated under KWIC's umbrella. Directly comparable on youth, Indigenous, and environmental education mandates, and historically co-developed with KWIC.
• Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF): Canadian charity dedicated to integrating sustainability education into schools and communities. Closely aligned with KWIC's SDG workshop delivery to schools and educators across Ontario.
• OPIRG Peterborough: Ontario Public Interest Research Group chapter also based at Trent University, focused on community-based research and social/environmental justice education. Comparable peer in location, host institution, and activist education model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Kwic_Ptbo
• Facebookfacebook.com/kwicPeterborough
• Instagraminstagram.com/kwic_ptbo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kawartha-world-issues-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kawartha World Issues Centre