Many of your questions might be answered in our 2023-2024 Student Handbook. In addition, see the following answers to commonly asked questions:
Act Five is excited to offer a 2.5-3 week cross-cultural service trip this year. For the 2023-2024 year the trip will be in January 2024. Some students will travel to Louisiana with World Renew Disaster Response Services, and the rest will travel to El Salvador with Resonate Global Mission. Further details for these trips will be communicated as details are finalized. Additionally, students will do 3 wilderness trips with Coldwater Canada, an indigenous learning trip to Manitoulin Island, and several other retreats throughout the year. Go to our student handbook for a full schedule of the year.
Students will be given time and support for fundraising throughout the fall. If students would like to pursue fundraising ahead of time, they are encouraged to receive pledges from those who can commit to giving funds to our partner charities to support these service trips when more details are know.
Act Five remains committed to following Public Health guidelines. Additionally, it is important that all participants be able to participate in all aspects of the program, which includes travel out-of-country. If the cross-cultural service trip or other travel (U.S. and otherwise) requires COVID-19 vaccination for travel or to eliminate a subsequent extended quarantine, Act Five will request that a participant be vaccinated to participate.
No, unfortunately, this program is not eligible for OSAP. There are other financial aid options available.
We are grateful to be able to offer financial assistance to those who are in need. You can apply for financial aid through this form. Additionally, there are scholarships and bursaries available for students pursuing gap years in Canada. See one such option here. Finally, you are able to access RESPs to help cover costs for Act Five.
Act Five accepts between 12-16 students each year
Act Five is an intensive 8-month program; therefore, maintaining part-time work is usually not feasible, nor do we believe it to be beneficial during this unique season. That said, we will work with students on an individual basis should part-time work be desired, necessary, or beneficial in their particular circumstances.
If you have been accepted to a specific limited-enrolment university program that you hope to defer, speak to us about the option of auditing Act Five courses. Furthermore, we will support all students in re-applying for university or college during the program. Several universities or colleges are interested in students coming from a program like Act Five, so you might even be helped in waiting to apply!
All courses are university-level courses, designed specifically for Act Five. If you attend Redeemer University after completing Act Five, these courses will transfer and count toward your degree. If you choose to attend elsewhere, Act Five will support you in working with your new institution to seek transfer credits where possible.
Act Five was birthed as a program of Redeemer, but moving forward will stand as its own organization; therefore, Act Five students are not Redeemer students (as of Fall 2023). That being said, Redeemer is a close friend of Act Five and will still offer our students access to their campus and certain services through Redeemer.
Yes, though you won’t need it very often. Parking at the Act Five residence is available, but limited, and street parking is often inconvenient. The group will often travel together by other means (walk, bike, bus, car share). You will even learn to build and fix your own bike in the program!
There are regular times each day and week for free time, though these are all part of the Act Five experience and are not always for students to get together with friends and family from outside the program. Specific points of each week and certainly weekends are great times for connecting with friends and family (unless we are away on a trip). Check out our sample weekly schedules here!
As much as we are able, Act Five will work with you to determine how best to navigate various food allergies and sensitivities, on a case-by-case basis.
We will take care of all of this with students when the time comes. Our outdoor trips and international trips are with great organizations who lead trips like these all the time. They help all our participants access insurance for these trips and work with us to prepare well.
Unfortunately, unless you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, the answer is no, though we are hoping to change this in the near future.