Become an Outreach Instructor
Every year Actua hires 15-20 Outreach and Land Camp Instructors to lead and deliver spring and summer programming in communities not yet reached by our network.
Applications are now closed for 2022.
Discover the experience
Actua’s Outreach Instructors are a team of dynamic, diverse and engaging undergraduate students in STEM studies or related fields who are hired by Actua to deliver STEM programming to communities across Canada during the spring and summer months. Our “for youth by youth” model is highly effective at helping youth build self‐confidence, connect with role models like them, and engage with STEM programming in an inclusive and safe space.
Actua’s Outreach Instructors deliver fun, hands-on, educational STEM programs for youth ages 6-16, as well as:
- serve as a role model for youth in Indigenous, rural, and/or remote communities;
- participate in training sessions held at the Actua national office in Ottawa;
- maintain an inclusive and safe space for ALL youth;
- coordinate community engagement activities (e.g. site visits, mentor and Elder events);
- frequently travel to Indigenous, rural, and/or remote communities, with the majority of travel being via aircraft or driving in a vehicle;
- work and live with a pod (team) of one to two co-instructors for the period of their employment with Actua; and
- contribute to the future of the program by participating in the evaluation, completing reports, taking photos, providing feedback and documenting success stories.
Actua strongly encourages those living in, are from Indigenous communities or those with experience or knowledge of Indigenous cultures to apply as the Outreach Team primarily engages youth from Indigenous communities. If you have experience working with Indigenous youth, are interested in STEM education and like to travel, learn from different people, cultures and places and facilitate community engagement, then the Actua’s Instructor team might be for you!
Those interested in becoming an Instructor must fill out an application. Applications are now closed for 2022 but are posted every January on Actua’s career page.
Testimonials
2017, 2018, 2019 Outreach Instructor
I was an Outreach Instructor for 3 seasons and had the opportunity to deliver Outreach programming in 10 communities across Nunavut and 15 communities in the Northwest Territories. As an Indigenous student studying Environmental Science, I greatly value Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Traditional Knowledge of communities. The opportunity to present culturally relevant content to young Indigenous scientists, provided me with the wonderful opportunity to learn about their Traditional Knowledge and about the culture and history of each community.
Outreach has given me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to some of the most beautiful and remote places in Canada, work with and learn from incredible youth, and create lifelong friendships. My time as an instructor has been a wild ride, it has been more challenging and more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. Outreach has taught me to expect the unexpected, and to be prepared for absolutely anything.
The most rewarding part of being an Outreach Instructor was seeing participants’ faces light up when they realize their knowledge and abilities in STEM, and the chance to learn far more than I taught. My biggest piece of advice while on the road is to have fun and take advantage of every opportunity you can!
Hometown:
Calgary, AB
Studied:
B.Sc in Environmental Sciences at Mount Royal University, AB
MA in Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan
2018, 2019 Outreach Instructor
As an Outreach Instructor in the summers of 2018 and 2019, I had the pleasure of visiting communities throughout Kitikmeot and Baffin Island. Being an indigenous person from NunatuKavut has exposed me to the reality that some folks are given below average opportunities with regards to education. I know how much I would’ve appreciated programs like this being readily available to me which has resulted in me being a huge advocate for youth in STEM!
I see myself as very lucky to have been given the opportunity to pursue this line of work. It has given me the opportunity to build on my skill set in countless ways, proving to be very rewarding. Rarely will there be two days quite the same, there are always new ways to apply your problem-solving abilities!
Not only will you be able to deliver well-conceived STEM content, but you will also get to experience the impression that this work leaves on youth. It is very fulfilling to see the impact that you can have on somebody’s life by exposing them to tools which they can use to succeed. Expect to leave each community with just as much knowledge gained as what you have given, this job is as much an opportunity to learn as it is to teach!
Hometown:
Forteau, NL
Studied:
Computer Science at Memorial University, NL
2018 Outreach Instructor
My season on the outreach team has honestly changed my life, and there were many times where I looked around and was so amazed and grateful at what my life had become! A summer on the road as part of the outreach team is the definition of hard work, big rewards – the days can be really long and sometimes things go wrong, but if you can keep the bigger picture of what you’re doing in your mind even the hardest days feel like a profound opportunity. I’ve now taught in 16 communities, taken 58 planes, and hold so many memories of the magical moment when you connect with a youth and see them succeed. If you’re ready for a life changing summer, bring a book (or 7), a journal, a deck of cards, a bottle of your favourite salad dressing or condiment and come join the outreach team.
Hometown:
Sooke, BC
Studied:
BSc in Biology & Applied Ethics at the University of Victoria, BC
1 of 1