Actua is a Canadian charitable organization that delivers science, engineering and technology educational programs to young people in Canada. The organization is a member of the Science and Technology Awareness Network (S.T.A.N.). Actua's president and CEO is Jennifer E. Flanagan.

Organization

Programs

Actua's programs use hands-on activities in fields such as health, mining, biology and ecology. The majority of member organizations also travel outside the urban centers where they are located to deliver camps and workshops in rural and remote communities. The programs include: In July 2021, Actua was awarded a $50,000 grant to develop "vaccine safety content" targeted towards students and teachers to combat vaccine hesitancy. The funding was administered jointly by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council through the "Encouraging vaccine confidence in Canada" COVID-19 vaccine funding program.

Membership

Actua operates on a membership structure, consisting of member organizations located at 31 university and college institutions across Canada. Actua's member programs are delivered by undergraduate and high school students through science camps and workshops, which are customized to the needs of local communities. The program has 34 members throughout the various provinces and territories of Canada.

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

Nunavut

Ontario

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon

Awards

In 2000, Actua was awarded the Michael Smith Award by the National Science and Engineering Research Council. In 2000, Actua submitted its programs to an independent evaluation process to measure their programs' effectiveness. The three-year research initiative surveyed student participants who revealed their experience with Actua programs. In 2009, the Ontario Trillium Foundation named Actua and its 11 Ontario members the winner of the Minister's Award recognizing not-for-profit organizations that have had "an exceptional impact in their communities."