[1] The organization's mission is to "build the skills, experience, and confidence of young people to effect positive change in their communities"(3).
Youth represent a large share of the Global South's population structure with 1.3 billion young people aged 12 to 24 now living in developing countries.
Taking into account these factors, YCI's program rationale focuses on targeting these issues to promote positive youth-focused change in the developing world.
Organizations that YCI has collaborated with include Youth Challenge Guyana in Guyana, Reto Juvenil International in Costa Rica, Youth Challenge Australia in Vanuatu, ZANGOC and Faraja Trust in Tanzania, YMCA-Ghana in Ghana, Association for Adolescent Development and the Program for Adolescent Mothers in Grenada, and Emmanuel Development Association in Ethiopia.
[1] Also, during its inaugural year, YCI partnered with the Adventure Club of the Soviet Union, sending a team of Canadian and Russian youth to the Arctic to participate in community service activities and conduct scientific research.
In addition, as of 2006, YCI has been working to engage Canadian youth in global development issues domestically, promoting awareness and advocacy through the functioning of its Volunteer Action Teams.
There is both a pre-departure learning curriculum and in-country orientation to help prepare and equip volunteers with the necessary tools and skills to complete successful placements.