By Lydia Lanman, AFL Staff

This summer the Canadian Labour Congress and the Alberta Federation of Labour are launching Solidarity WORKS!. Following the project’s highly successful debut in Ontario last year, the CLC, along with the AFL have decided to bring this innovative program to young unionists and community members in Calgary.

The three-week long program will help participants build their activist skills and promote involvement in the labour movement. The goal is that the Solidarity WORKS! participants will take the skills learned and the experience gained while in the program back to their communities. The participants in last year’s Ontario Federation of Labour-sponsored program have continued to be active in and committed to both the labour movement and social justice issues.

This is a paid, hands-on training program that will focus on labour education and skill development. For one week, there will be intensive in-class learning. For the following two weeks, participants will work with unions and community-based organizations to gain practical experience and skills. Participants will identify and work on issues and campaigns with labour throughout the year.

In order to participate in Solidarity WORKS! you must be:

• Committed to a worker-centered, anti-racist, feminist, gay-positive vision of social justice;
• Committed to developing follow-up actions with the labour movement;
• 26 years old and under;
• Available in Calgary, full-time from Monday, July 31 to Saturday, August 19, 2000
• This year’s program will involve 15 participants, representing a broad cross-section of youth. Each participant will be paid a weekly honorarium.
• Deadline for applications is FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2000. Selected participants will be contacted by July 15th.

Nrinder N.K. Nann, National Representative on Youth Issues, CLC at 1-800-363-9775 or (613) 521-3400 ext. 424 or via e-mail at nnann@clc-ctc.ca.
Lydia Lanman, Executive Director, AFL at 1-800-661-3995 or (780) 483-3021 or via e-mail at llanman@telusplanet.net.
For more information on-line about this youth action project, please check out www.clc-ctc.ca/youth/whats/html