Communications Student

October 27th, 2026

Student Placement Posting #2027-STU-03

3 Month Co-Op / Internship

Communications Department

[1 Vacancy – Paid]

The York Region Children’s Aid Society (YRCAS) is a non-profit community organization legally mandated to protect children and youth from abuse and neglect. As a leader within the child welfare sector, we partner with parents, caregivers, and community to provide a safe environment for children and youth, through equitable, culturally aligned services.

Comprised of interdisciplinary teams of diverse professionals who push boundaries in support of family centered care, we engage with children and families for a stronger, healthier community within the York Region.

YRCAS is fully committed to a culture of belonging and an inclusive environment that encourages every team member to lead within their role, and to generate innovative ideas that reinforce our mission and goal of creating a healthy workplace and community where children, youth and families thrive.

To support us on our journey, YRCAS is looking for a Communications Student to work with our Communications Department team.

Why Complete Your Student Placement With Us?

• Hybrid working model (working virtual and in person).
• Casual dress code.
• Shortened Summer hours.
• Mileage Reimbursement.
• Enhanced Wellness Initiatives and Virtual Fitness Classes.
• The support of a dedicated student mentor and committed team to enhance your learning and provide opportunities for knowledge and skill development within and beyond the placement student role, potentially including but not limited to: departmental shadowing opportunities, internal and external learning and development opportunities, opportunities to participate in Agency committee, projects and events, and more!

SUMMARY OF DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

York Region Children’s Aid Society (York CAS) is looking for a Communications Student to provide general support to external communications at the Agency. Reporting directly to the Communications Consultant, this role will provide you with an opportunity to build your skills within an impactful medium-sized organization.

MAJOR RESPONSIBIITIES:

• End-to-end events management and collaboration across different teams in support of Communications activities and promotions.
• Support cross-functional collaborations to ensure event messaging, event processes and deliverables are executed according to strategy.
• Design creative and professional content for web and online marketing materials, which may include graphics, photography, icons, simple videos, and infographics in support of stakeholder relations.
• Participate in the brainstorming and development of new ideas and creative concepts for upcoming internal and external projects and events.
• Contribute to social media content and engage with other social media users through cross-promotion, link, and content sharing, targeting our key stakeholders.
• Enhance website content for stakeholders’ interaction with YRCAS.
• Explore and experiment with creative strategies to promote and plan events.
• Other duties to support organizational objectives as assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Good organizational, interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively, contributing your individual strengths.
• Currently pursuing a post-secondary degree or diploma in Communications, Public Relations or a related field, or demonstrating relevant experience.
• Ability to design creative and professional content for online and print marketing materials (this may include basic graphics, photography, videos, infographics, etc.)
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Superior written and verbal communication.
• Creative & Laser-focused - full of unique ideas.
• Able to work independently with exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail and follow-through.
• Passionate about event planning, including the use of social media platforms to engage stakeholders.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite.
• Experience leveraging technology to communicate and engage key stakeholders.
• Knowledge of, and interest in, issues affecting children, youth, and families.
• Previous coordination, planning, and execution experience, or project management knowledge and experience (including on a volunteer basis) considered an asset.
• Ability to work with Adobe Creative Suite; particularly using Illustrator and InDesign. with multimedia tools, software and hardware considered an asset.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Currently enrolled in a post-secondary program in Communications, Public Relations, or in a related field.
• Equivalent experience accepted.
• This opportunity is open to current students of an accredited post-secondary institution, recent graduates (within the past 12 months), as well as students seeking a co-operative education/work-integrated learning opportunity. Individuals must be a current student or recent graduate to apply.

PAY GRADE: $18 - $25 per hour.

HOURS OF WORK: Up to 33.75 hours per week. Some flexibility is supported to meet the needs of the Placement Student’s Educational Requirements.

Candidates who meet the qualifications are welcome to apply and should apply through the ADP Student Portal no later than 11:59PM November 16^th, 2026.

Please quote job posting #2027-STU-3 Communications Student.

We appreciate all applications received. All communications will be held in strict and professional confidence. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. We thank all applicants for their submissions.

Employment at York Region Children’s Aid Society is conditional upon the verification of credentials and a satisfactory vulnerable sector check.

York Region Children’s Aid Society works in a hybrid virtual and on-site working environment.

Anti-Oppression/Anti-Racism at York Region Children’s Aid Society

YRCAS is committed to having a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of York Region and strongly encourages application from all qualified individuals, especially those who can provide different perspectives and contribute to a further diversification of ideas.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

York Region Children’s Aid Society is committed to employment equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and fostering equity, diversity and inclusion in recruitment practices is a key aspect of the search process. The current posting is in search of candidates who identified from the following equity seeking groups; women, racialized persons/persons of colour, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. If you are of the aforementioned identities, and feel comfortable making it known, you may choose to self-identify as member of a designated group. Any information directly related to you is kept confidential and used in a safe manner to inform our recruitment process towards being an equal opportunity employer.

Accommodation at YRCAS

We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is inclusive and barrier free. Accommodation will be provided in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. Applicants that may require accommodation during the selection process are encouraged to notify the Human Resources Department when contacted for an interview.

Human Resources will work together with the hiring committee to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation for the selection process, which will enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.

Children at the heart of all that we do!