Rita Karakas, the Canada World Youth (CWY) president and CEO, says Whitehorse residents will see participants from its program visit the city again.

It may not happen in the next round of programming, Karakas said this morning.

However, the organization considers the community “part of our extended family” after several years of bringing youth to the territory’s capital city to volunteer, Karakas said.

“We value it immensely,” she said of the relationship the group has with Whitehorse residents, many host families and local organizations participants volunteer with.

Whitehorse is “on the list” of communities CWY will continue working with and bringing programs to, she said.

Karakas was responding to rumours that the group may be losing federal funding.

As she explained, three years ago, volunteer organizations like CWY were informed by federal officials the funding process would be changing this year so groups would have to bid on funding that had become standard for them.

It’s a process designed to open up more opportunities to other organizations which may not have received funding in the past.

Karakas acknowledged this presents a challenge for CWY and others which received funding each year without having to apply.

However, she noted the organization has submitted a bid for a five-year funding arrangement she’s hopeful will be approved.

The organization is also exploring ways to diversify its funding so that it’s not relying so heavily on government sources and looking at expanding its program offerings, Karakas.

CWY will continue to offer youth leadership programs, she emphasized.

Working from home today, Karakas did not have figures readily available on costs, but noted they can vary by location.

Transportation is the greatest cost for the organization, and its programs in the North generally cost between 15 and 20 per cent more than in the South.

The program many Yukoners are familiar with is the 12-week youth exchange. A number of residents in Whitehorse have played host to participants who stay in pairs at the home of host families and volunteer locally.

The most recent exchange this fall saw 18 youth between the ages of 18 and 22 arrive in Whitehorse with nine from across Canada and another nine from Indonesia.

During their time in Whitehorse, participants volunteered with a number of non-profit organizations as well as at various events like holiday celebrations at the Canada Games Centre. They also put on a cultural presentation before leaving the territory.

Following the 12-week program in Canada, the youth travelled to Indonesia where they will take part in a similar session.

The Canada/Indonesia exchange that brought the youth to Whitehorse is one of several happening in other communities across the country with a total of about 300 youth taking part.

Participants in the program pay a fee – with that cost dependent on the program they are in – and as a registered charity, CWY also takes donations.

It is also works in partnership with others on various programs.

Whitehorse residents are familiar with the three-month exchange.

The organization also has a variety of other youth leadership programs, and Karakas noted the group is looking at possible changes to its offerings.

Among those changes could be a greater focus on aboriginal youth and working with more First Nations communities.

Working in partnership with First Nations and communities in Labrador, CWY has already had an exchange between aboriginal First Nation youth there and Tanzania.

A symposium on Aboriginal Youth and Confederation was also hosted in partnership with with the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island last June.

That event was part of the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference (which led to Confederation in 1867) events happening in P.E.I. last year.

There are a number of other aboriginal programs underway, and Karakas said those programs could be expanded.

Meanwhile, the success of CWY is being shown in other countries. Officials with CWY are working with a group in Indonesia to launch an Indonesia World Youth program, and talks are underway in other countries as well, she said.

The program is expected to return to the city in future sessions, though whether that will happen this year is not known.

Its return appears to have the support of Mayor Dan Curtis.

At Monday’s council meeting, Curtis praised the work of the CWY volunteers who were in town for the last three months.

He mentioned their efforts at a number of city events held in that time, adding he hopes the program will return to the city.