Youth organizations connect participation with leadership, volunteering, civic action, and international exchange. In Canada, 53% of youth aged 15 to 29 participated in a group, organization, or association during 2021–2024. In the European Union, 64% of young people aged 15 to 30 participated in at least one organization during 2024. These figures use different populations, periods, and definitions, so they should be read as separate indicators rather than combined estimates.
Contents
- Canadian participation by age and location
- Who participates and which organizations attract them
- Volunteering and practical leadership
- Access and leadership in Canada Service Corps organizations
- European civic and issue-based participation
- International exchange and volunteering
Canadian participation by age and location
Statistics Canada reported that 53% of Canadian youth aged 15 to 29 participated in a group, organization, or association during 2021–2024. Participation varied substantially by age. It was 66% among youth aged 15 to 19, 47% among those aged 20 to 24, and 42% among those aged 25 to 29. The pattern shows a higher reported participation rate among younger teenagers and a lower rate among people in their twenties.
Among youth aged 15 to 19, participation was 65% for men and 67% for women. Among youth aged 20 to 24, the reported rates were 52% for men and 41% for women. These figures describe the stated age and sex groups for 2021–2024; they do not explain why participation differed between groups.
There were also provincial and regional differences. Participation was 59% in British Columbia and 53% in Ontario. It was 49% in Quebec and 49% in Atlantic Canada. For a Quebec-based leadership and global-exchange audience, the Quebec figure provides a relevant local benchmark, but it should not be treated as a measure of participation in a particular organization or program.
| Canadian youth group | Participation rate | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 15–19 | 66% | 2021–2024 |
| Ages 20–24 | 47% | 2021–2024 |
| Ages 25–29 | 42% | 2021–2024 |
| British Columbia | 59% | 2021–2024 |
| Ontario | 53% | 2021–2024 |
| Quebec | 49% | 2021–2024 |
| Atlantic Canada | 49% | 2021–2024 |
The source also linked organizational participation with local belonging. Among Canadian youth who participated in a youth organization, 78% reported a strong sense of belonging to their local community, compared with 57% of non-participants. For youth who participated in a school group, neighbourhood association, civic association, or community association, the corresponding figures were 75% and 56%. These are associations in the reported data, not evidence that participation alone caused stronger belonging. Statistics Canada, “Youth participation in groups, organizations or associations”
Who participates and which organizations attract them
Another Statistics Canada source measured participation during the previous 12 months in 2020 among Canadian youth aged 15 to 30. It found that 15.0% participated in a youth organization. The reported rate was 11.4% among young men and 17.8% among young women.
Participation differed by demographic group and organization type. Youth-organization participation was 21% among visible-minority youth and 12% among non-visible-minority youth. For school groups and neighbourhood, civic, or community associations, the rates were 32% and 23%, respectively. Religious-affiliated group participation was 26% among visible-minority youth and 12% among non-visible-minority youth. Immigrant or ethnic associations or clubs recorded 9% and 2% for the same two groups.
Sport and recreation were widely reported forms of participation, although the pattern by demographic group moved in the opposite direction: 45% of visible-minority youth and 57% of non-visible-minority youth participated in sport or recreational organizations. Across Canadian youth aged 15 to 30, 52.9% participated in sport or recreational organizations, 34.4% participated in cultural, educational, or hobby organizations, and 8.6% participated in environmental groups.
These measures come from a 2020 reference period and use categories that can overlap. A young person may therefore appear in more than one organization type, and the percentages should not be added together. Statistics Canada, “Chapter 6: Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
Volunteering and practical leadership
Formal volunteering among Canadian youth aged 15 to 30 was 46% in 2018. In that measure, the rate was 42% for men and 49% for women. Formal volunteering means unpaid activity on behalf of a group or organization; informal volunteering was measured separately by the source.
Some young people volunteered because an institution required unpaid activity. In 2018, 16% of Canadian youth aged 15 to 30 were required to do unpaid activity by a school or another arrangement. Among youth aged 15 to 19, the reported rate was 31%.
Among Canadian youth volunteers, 24% gave time to social-service organizations, 22% to education and research organizations, 18% to sports and recreation organizations, and 16% to religious organizations. These percentages describe the destinations of youth volunteers and should not be interpreted as shares of all Canadian youth.
Volunteering also included activities closely related to organizational leadership. In 2018, 21.3% of Canadian youth aged 15 to 30 organized, supervised, or coordinated volunteer events. Another 15.0% volunteered by teaching, educating, or mentoring. Those activities illustrate how participation can involve responsibility for people and projects, not only attendance at an organization’s events. Statistics Canada, “Chapter 6: Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
Access and leadership in Canada Service Corps organizations
The Canada Service Corps provides a program-specific view of youth participation. It recorded 16,431 participating youth in fiscal years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. These figures describe program participants, not all Canadian youth.
Access and representation were prominent features of the program data. Overall, 79% of participants identified with at least one under-served group targeted by the program. The reported shares included 14% who identified as Indigenous, 42% who identified as belonging to a visible-minority or racialized group, and 26% who identified as living in a rural or remote area. About 56% of participants were aged 15 to 19, and about 57% identified as female. In participant surveys, 37% identified as living on low income.
The organization-level leadership indicator was narrower. In the 2022 Call for Proposals, 29% of funded Canada Service Corps organizations reported that at least half of their leadership was aged 15 to 30. This is a measure of funded organizations that reported the characteristic, not a general estimate for Canadian youth organizations.
Together, the figures distinguish participation from access and leadership. A program can reach under-served groups while still having a smaller share of organizations with youth making up at least half of leadership. Employment and Social Development Canada, “Evaluation of the Canada Service Corps - 2018 to 2023”
European civic and issue-based participation
In 2024, 64% of EU young people aged 15 to 30 said they had participated in the activities of one or more organizations during the previous 12 months. Civic participation extended beyond membership or attendance: 48% reported taking action to change society by signing a petition, attending a rally, or writing to a politician.
Issue-based activity covered several areas. The reported shares were 34% for human-rights topics, 33% for climate-change or environmental topics, 29% for health and wellbeing topics, and 29% for equal-rights topics regardless of gender, race, or sexuality. The categories are separate indicators and may overlap because one respondent could be active on more than one topic.
The same 2024 survey found that more than 43% of surveyed EU young people had participated in an activity in another EU country. Awareness of Erasmus+ funding opportunities was 49%. These indicators connect organizational participation with a wider European space, but awareness of funding is not the same as receiving funding or completing an exchange. European Commission, “New Eurobarometer survey shows young people’s active participation in civic and democratic life ahead of the upcoming European elections”
International exchange and volunteering
The 2024 EU indicators show several forms of cross-border activity. Among surveyed EU young people, 16% had studied or trained in another EU country, 12% had volunteered in another EU country, and 12% had worked in another EU country. More than 43% had participated in an activity in another EU country, a broader measure that can include activities beyond study, volunteering, or work.
Historical European survey results provide additional context but are not 2026 estimates. In the 2014 survey, 16% of young European respondents had participated in a youth club, leisure-time club, or other youth organization during the previous 12 months. The reported figures were 11% for a local organization aimed at improving the local community and 10% for a cultural organization.
One quarter of young European respondents had participated in organized voluntary activities during the previous 12 months. Among respondents involved in volunteering, 27% had received formal recognition. Six percent said they had volunteered abroad at some point, and 7% had participated in an activity or project fostering cooperation with young people from other countries during the previous 12 months. For 66% of volunteers, the volunteering was aimed at changing the local community.
The 2014 Eurobarometer results measure their original survey period and should not be combined with the 2024 EU results as if they were one continuous series. They are useful for distinguishing local community action, formal recognition, international volunteering, and cooperation across countries. European Commission, “Memo on Eurobarometer Survey n°408”