This June, the Rideau Hall Foundation launched the Catapult Network Pilot, bringing together six organizations from across Canada that are working to create stronger pathways into STEM for girls and underserved youth.
The pilot represents the next step in the evolution of Catapult Canada, the RHF’s national initiative supporting youth-serving organizations to strengthen and expand opportunities for young people across Canada. Through our work with these organizations, we have learned that funding is important, but organizations also benefit from opportunities to connect with their peers, strengthen their capacity, share knowledge and work together on common challenges.
The Catapult Network Pilot is putting that learning into practice. Beginning with a group of STEM-focused organizations, we are testing a collaborative network model that we hope can ultimately create more opportunities for Catapult grantees and other youth-serving organizations to learn from and support one another.
Six organizations were selected to participate: Actua, EcoAmbassadeurs, Equiforce, Hackergal, SuperNOVA and Visions of Science. While their programs and approaches differ, they share a commitment to addressing systemic barriers facing young people, including challenges related to access, representation and belonging.
The network came together for the first time at an in-person gathering on June 12. Participants began building relationships, sharing their work and identifying common priorities.
Together, they also developed a learning plan for the year ahead that will include peer learning, co-creation and capacity-building sessions. All culminating in a two-day gathering to reflect on lessons learned and explore opportunities for continued collaboration.
Early conversations have already reinforced the value of bringing organizations together in this way. Many had limited relationships with one another before the pilot but are navigating similar questions around funding sustainability, educator engagement, partnerships and program growth. Creating structured opportunities to exchange practical knowledge and learn from one another can help organizations address these challenges collectively rather than in isolation.
Over the coming year, we will learn alongside participating organizations about what makes a collaborative network valuable and sustainable. Our longer-term ambition is to build on these lessons across Catapult Canada, creating stronger connections among grantees and the wider youth-serving sector.
Across Canada, youth-serving organizations create opportunities for young people to learn, grow and reach their potential every day. By investing not only in their programs, but also in the connections, knowledge and capacity that strengthen their work, we can help build a stronger sector for the young people it serves.
The Catapult Network Pilot is being facilitated in partnership with the Tamarack Institute and made possible with support from the BHP Foundation.
