Welcome to the University of Can
CanU is a Winnipeg-based charitable organization that inspires hope and confidence in the leaders of tomorrow through its out-of-school mentorship and educational enrichment program for youth in Grades 5-12. Throughout the year, CanU Kids participate in a wide range of educational experiences on post-secondary campuses and develop their nutrition, health, academic, social, and leadership skills. CanU programs are designed and led by post-secondary student volunteers who are honing their leadership and community service skills.
Who We Are
Founded in 2010, CanU is a partner-based out-of-school program on the University of Manitoba campuses. We are over 800 Gr. 5-12 CanU kids, over 1000 post-secondary student and partner volunteers, more than 20 corporate and community funding partners, more than 30 post-secondary departments and faculties, over 60 Winnipeg schools, over 70 programs, and four full-time employees. As an organization built upon mutually beneficial partnerships with a rich variety of complementary stakeholders, we are united by the dream that when a child experiences hope and confidence, the possibilities for that child are limitless.
What We Do
“There are too many great opportunities at CanU. One week I want to be a pharmacist, the next week I want to be a doctor and the next week a dentist.”
- Grade 7 CanU Participant
We inspire hope and confidence, empowering our kids to see possibilities and seize opportunities. How do we do it? Each week, students from across the City of Winnipeg are bused to Manitoba post-secondary institutions where they are accompanied by mentors as they rotate through a variety of programs ranging from cooking in a food lab to caring for a patient in a nursing simulation lab to designing and building a robot. Through these experiences, CanU kids gain a sense of belonging in the post-secondary environment and are introduced to people and programs that ignite their imaginations and equip them to excel in school and life.
Why It Matters
Exposing young and brilliant minds to an environment for which their past experience might be limited means opening whole new worlds of possibility. A recent Boys and Girls Club study revealed that girls who are mentored are 2.5 times as likely to be confident in their ability to succeed in school and that boys who are mentored are 2 times as likely to consider school and learning as fun.
Hope is indeed the “energy to get started”, and for CanU that means providing a spark to ignite the minds of countless children and youth. We do that by connecting our kids to new worlds of mentors, learning and possibilities.
Share Your Story
Whether it's a simple moment of joy, an obstacle you overcame, or an account of all your CanU adventures, CanU Canada wants to hear your CanU Stories! CanU would love to share your story of Hope, Confidence and Action with the CanUniverse. Please take a moment to share!