Nature / Writing

Saturday January 29, 2011 [UPDATE: It may be useful to browse these old listings as many programs are annual, but for more current contests and competitions, head to the Youth Opportunities page .] Here's the weekly round-up of opportunities for Ontario youth. I just post these as I come across them, so be sure to research any opportunity thoroughly and read all the fine print before getting submitting something yourself or recommending an opportunity to students. Show Choir Canada National Championships • Canadian high school show choirs • February 1st, 2011 There's still a few days left for high school choirs from across Canada to register to compete in the first Show Choir Canada National Championship , scheduled to take place in Toronto on April 8th & 9th, 2011. Dare 2 Move ParticipACTION Teen Challenge • Canadians aged 13-19 • March 21st, 2011 Beginning January 31st, Canadian teens are invited to submit a "creative message about the physical inact...

Saturday January 22, 2011 [UPDATE: It may be useful to browse these old listings as many programs are annual, but for more current contests and competitions, head to the Youth Opportunities page .] There are several opportunities for book lovers this week, and for youth who are interested in social activism. Free the Children - Youth in Action Summits • Youth aged 11 to 20 • Application deadlines: Montreal Feb. 4th, Kelowana & Los Angeles Feb. 11th, Vancouver & San Francisco Feb. 18th, Toronto Feb. 19th 2011, In 2011 Youth in Action Summits will take place in Montreal (Feb. 19), Los Angeles (Feb. 26), Kelowna (Feb. 27), Toronto (March 5), San Francisco (March 5) and Vancouver (March 6). The summits are intended to assist young social activists with "taking the necessary steps towards becoming a leader and a Free The Children ambassador". YMCA of Greater Toronto - International Youth Internship Program • Canadian post-secondary graduates, unemployed or un...

Saturday January 15, 2011 [UPDATE: It may be useful to browse these old listings as many programs are annual, but for more current contests and competitions, head to the Youth Opportunities page .] I'm still figuring out the best format for sharing these links on a weekly basis.  To that end I've changed up the way I display previously profiled opportunities at the bottom of each post, now linking directly to the institution's website instead of my summary.  If you have any thoughts about how I can make these posts more useful to you, please feel free to add a comment! Google Global Science Fair 2011 • Students aged 13-18, international • Deadline April 4th, 2011 The big news in youth opportunities this week was the announcement of the Google Global Science Fair .  Google has partnered with CERN, The LEGO Group, National Geographic and Scientific American to offer the online competition. Youth may work alone or in groups of two or ...

Sunday January 9, 2011 Yesterday I caught the very end of Me and Orson Welles ( IMDb ), a 2008 movie starring Zac Efron, Christian McKay and Claire Danes.  I didn't know much about it, so naturally I tottered on over to ye olde Internet Movie Database to see what I could see.  For some reason that I've already forgotten, I clickety-linked on to Efron's page.  Now, I was a little too old to be in the target audience for High School Musical , but both Steve and I  love the 2007 version of Hairspray ( IMDb ) and rewatch it often.  That's where I really discovered Efron, and have enjoyed him ever since.  This makes me certain I must have been to his IMDb page before and yet, somehow, I never noticed this little credit waaaay down at the bottom: That's a young Zac Efron playing a young Simon Tam in Joss Whedon's series Firefly , which is among my very favourite things put on television EVER .  I remembered this scene clearly, right down to ...

Saturday January 8, 2011 [UPDATE: It may be useful to browse these old listings as many programs are annual, but for more current contests and competitions, head to the Youth Opportunities page .] After a rather long holiday-induced hiatus, I've finally made a return to the Saturday round-up of opportunities for youth.  I focus on opportunities that are open to Ontario youth, although many are open Canada-wide.  If you've missed the previous round-ups, scroll to the bottom of the page to browse previously mentioned youth opportunities that are still open to submissions. Toronto Fringe - TD Bank Youth and Artist Outreach Coordinator • Toronto-based position for someone aged 30 or under • Deadline January 20th, 2011 by 5pm The Toronto Fringe Festival is hiring a part-time Youth and Artist Outreach Coordinator for a 40-week contract to take the lead on several outreach programs and assist with others. According to the jobs section of the Fringe Toronto website , th...