Summer Student Grant 2024

Looking to increase capacity at your bowls club?

Are fewer and fewer volunteers signing up to do the many jobs needed for your club to operate?

You’re not alone!

To help your club operate, consider looking into a Canada Summer Jobs Grant. This grant, offered by the federal government, allows your club to hire a summer student with a significant portion of the costs covered. Open to Canadians between the ages of 15-30, this could be a perfect opportunity to reduce the burden on your volunteers, provide a quality learning experience for a student, and start your club down the path of increasing capacity, staying open for longer hours, and getting more important work done!

Possible responsibilities you could assign to a Summer Student:

• Rentals administration
• Club Coach
• Social media & website
• Branding (develop a brand identity, logo, colour scheme, etc. for the club)
• Program administration (e.g. implement a Youth program using Learn to Bowl kit)
• Assistant Greenskeeper
• General maintenance (maintain the surrounds, clean the clubhouse, etc.)
• General admin (memberships, Safe Sport screener, league night scoring/standings, tournament entries, etc.)

BCB wants to encourage as many clubs as possible to take advantage of this great opportunity. To further help clubs, BCB has created some basic application tips and a job description template that eligible clubs can use when looking to hire a summer student. This blog will be a resource for all clubs to use when preparing and submitting an application.

Application Requirements

Eligibility requirements are set by the Summer Student Grant Program, and clubs must meet all 15 requirements in order to be eligible for the funding. These requirements were created to ensure that the program and clubs are providing quality work experiences that help to develop relevant skills and address any accessibility barriers.

Some of the requirements include: indicating a salary/wage, declaring if you have or will apply for other sources of funding, detailing job duration and hours, providing supervision and mentoring of the youth, and whether your club received funding in the past. To read more about the requirement, click here.

The application form includes three different parts:

1. Employer Information: your organization’s information such as name, contact and mailing information, type of organization, and operations.
2. Job Details: this section requests the title, details, and number of openings regarding the job(s) you will be applying for funding.
3. Funding Requested: You will be asked to explain the funding requested for the position, as well as include details such as hours per week, number of weeks, and the start and end date.

Additionally, you will be asked to complete and confirm the attestation section at the end of the form. This is a critical piece since your application will not be reviewed if it is not completed.

More information can be found here, please refer to this Web Page to ensure you understand and complete all required fields on the application form.

How to Apply

There are 4 different ways to submit an application, yet it is recommended and preferred that electronic options are used. You may experience administration delays should you not use the electronic submission platform, as such please make sure to include a buffer when submitting your application.

1. Grants and Contributions Online Services (GCOS): You will need to create an online account through GCOS in order to access the online application form. Should you wish to use GCOS, you will be able to track your application, sign agreements, submit supporting documents, and review previous applications.
2. Online Fillable Application: An Online application form can also be used to submit your application. Please note that you will have to create an account, that can be accessed at an time to edit and change your form before submitting.
3. In Person: Applications need to be received in person at a Service Canada office before the close of the business day on January 10^th. A confirmation email will be sent within 14 days.
4. By Mail: Applications must be postmarked on or before the deadline of January 10^th. A confirmation email will be sent within 14 days.

It is important to note that applications received after the deadline or postmarked after the deadline of January 10^th will not be considered. Please refer to the website here to get more information and to access each platform.

Assessment Criteria

Applications are assessed on 3 criteria, each with its own point value:

1. Provide quality work experience for youth (30 points total)
2. Provide youth with opportunity to develop and improve their skills (45 points total)
3. Respond to national and local priorities to improve access to the labour market for you who face unique barriers (25 points total)

Please consult the website here to see the assessment breakdown for each category.

Please note the deadline to apply for this grant is January 10th, 2023. Eligible bowls clubs must have a business number with the CRA. Read more here.

Important Deadlines/Dates for the 2023 Canada Summer Jobs Grant:

We will continue to promote and share best practices via social media and the weekly newsletter (This Week In Bowls). If you currently aren’t subscribed or having issues subscribing to either promotion platform, please contact us at office@bowlscanada.com for assistance. If you have questions about the Summer Student Grant Program or Application Process, please contact Samantha Burelle, Safe Sport & EDI Coordinator, at sburelle@bowlscanada.com.

To apply for the grant, click here.