Sponsor
Mitacs and United Way
Program
Accelerate Joint Pilot Partnership Program
For More Information
Accelerate Internship Opportunities
Description
Company Description:
United Way is a network of over 100 local United Way offices, each registered as its own non-profit organization and governed by an independent volunteer-led local Board of Directors. Each United Way works locally to raise funds and invest in improving lives in its community. The United Way movement is improving lives locally by moving people from poverty to possibility, helping kids be all they can be, and building strong and healthy communities.
Project Description:
United Way is partnering with Mitacs to provide funding and training for graduate students and postdocs for research related to social inclusion. Inclusion is a strategy to leverage diversity. Diversity always exists in social systems. Inclusion, on the other hand, must be created. In order to leverage diversity, an environment must be created where people feel supported, listened to and able to do their personal best. Social inclusion (sometimes referred to as a sense of belonging) is the act of making all groups of people within a society feel valued and important. It is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.
This grant aims to identify talented researchers conducting thesis or dissertation research related to social inclusion. Research may focus on one or more of the following broad themes:
- Reduced isolation
- Access to services
- Stronger neighbourhoods
- Diversity
- Employment for groups that are more often excluded from the workforce
Interns are encouraged to frame any research recommendations with a lens that considers how different demographics and groups of people experience inclusion and the barriers to inclusion that might be faced.
Particular research questions of interest can be found here.
Eligibility
- Full-time graduate students at all Canadian universities studying in Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines
- Must be able to hold position at the following United Way locations:
- United Way Calgary & Area: Calgary and Area: City of Calgary, towns of Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane, High River, Okotoks and Strathmore
- United Way Halton & Hamilton: Halton & Hamilton: Greater Hamilton and Halton region
- United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin: Guelph, Wellington County, and Orangeville and Dufferin County
- United Way Lower Mainland: Metro Vancouver, North coast – Sea to Sky, the Lower Mainland to Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley
- United Way Ottawa: City of Ottawa
Funding Availability
Interns are provided with a stipend/salary starting at $10,000 per four-month period. Typically, internships are approved for a total of $15,000, including a minimum $10,000 stipend and maximum $5,000 in research costs with $7,500 coming from the industry partner (United Way) matched with $7,500 from Mitacs.
Indirect Costs
0%
Project Duration
4 months; start date is Summer or Fall of 2018
Deadlines
If College-level review is required, your College will communicate its earlier internal deadlines.
| Type | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
External Deadline | The graduate student intern and corresponding faculty supervisor must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) directly to Mitacs - United Way via this webform. Prepare to upload the student and supervisor CV.
| |
Internal Deadline | For applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal, please submit a signed OR5 form and complete, signed application package to the Office of Research at resserv@uoguelph.ca. | |
External Deadline | Please submit the approved application directly to Mitacs via email. |
How to Apply
United Way and Mitacs are inviting researchers to submit a LOI as the first stage of this process. Successful applicants will then be invited to submit a full proposal that will be evaluated through the Mitacs Accelerate program.
- Submit a Letter of Intent via this webform by January 8, 2018
- Successful applicants will be notified by February 15 2018
- Full proposals will be due by April 1, 2018
- Projects must begin during the summer or fall of 2018