33. What happens to my application once I submit it? How are applications screened?

After the application deadline for each selection round, government officials review and evaluate the applications received and contact only those selected to proceed to the second stage.

34. How do you select the members of the Youth Council?

In the first stage, three sets of approximately 100 applicants are chosen from all the applicants to form a pool of approximately 300 people who proceed to the second stage. The first set is made up of approximately 100 applicants with the highest scores in community engagement in each region of Canada and one region designated for Canadians outside Canada to recognize their engagement efforts. The second set is made up of 100 randomly selected applicants in order to achieve a broad representation of all applicants and to give everyone who applied a chance to be considered. The third set of approximately 100 applicants is formed based on diversity indicators, to ensure that the large pool of approximately 300 advancing to the second stage is fully representative of the diversity of Canada. The second stage of the selection process invites the approximately 300 selected applicants to participate in a video interview and submit their résumés online, with references. Only those selected for this second stage of the selection process are contacted. This additional information is used to select the top candidates based on their capacity to contribute diverse perspectives to the Prime Minister’s Youth Council. We then review the video interviews, references, and résumés, and then contact those who are proceeding to the final stage.

35. When can I expect to be contacted for the video interview stage?

If you are chosen to proceed to the second stage of the selection process, you can expect to be contacted approximately four to eight weeks after the closing day of the application period.

36. What if I live in a community with little or no Internet access?

If you cannot use the online application form, or if you are selected for the video interview stage but the Internet infrastructure in your community creates barriers to submitting the video, please contact us. Accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

37. After I pass the first stage, what will the interview be like?

We will ask you a few questions using an online video where you will be asked to provide your answers using video responses. This process, done using an online platform, is like a live interview, but enables you to answer our questions from a computer. The online system allows you to practice your answers before you record them. You will also be asked to upload your résumé on this system. Additional interviews may be conducted as deemed necessary. Due to both the confidential nature of the selection process and the high number of applicants, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted regarding the next stages of the process.

38. How do I prepare for my interview if I make it to the next stage?

First and foremost, be yourself! Don’t overanalyze it, don’t overthink it. We do suggest that you reflect on your community engagement and your life experiences since this will shape the advice that successful candidates will give to the Prime Minister on issues that matter to them and to their peers.

39. Will in-person interviews be conducted?

Additional interviews may be conducted as deemed necessary. Due to both the confidential nature of the selection process and the high number of applicants, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted regarding the next stages of the process.

40. What types of security checks are required to become a member of the Youth Council?

A background check will be conducted for those candidates who are selected to be Youth Council members. This background check will require verification from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and an open source check (your comments made online). Please note that more information including what forms to fill out will be provided to the candidates who are selected to be Youth Council members.

41. I hold a valid security clearance from the Government of Canada or a provincial/territorial government department. Am I still required to undergo another background check to become a member of the Youth Council?

Yes. The background check process for Youth Council appointments is still required even for those candidates who possess a valid security clearance from a federal, provincial, or territorial government.

42. Will I have to submit a résumé during the application process (curriculum vitae)?

Yes. Those moving to the second stage of the application process will have to upload their résumé at the same time as they do their video interview. If you do not have a résumé you can submit a short document that summarizes your education, work, and community involvement up until now with approximate dates and short descriptions of the kind of work and involvement that you took part in.

43. How else can I get involved?

Your application may be used to identify candidates for other engagement opportunities with the Government of Canada beyond the Prime Minister’s Youth Council (such as participating on another youth council or as a youth participant at a government meeting or event), if you consent to this in your application. Using the online form, you can also sign up to receive email updates about youth issues and opportunities to participate in activities or provide your input on important policy and program work with the Government of Canada.

44. I am over the age of 24. How can I get involved?

Using the online form, you can sign up to receive email updates about youth issues and opportunities to participate in activities or provide your input on important policy and program work with the Government of Canada.

45. I am under the age of 16. How can I get involved?

Using the online form, you can sign up to receive email updates about youth issues and opportunities to participate in activities or provide your input on important policy and program work with the Government of Canada.