About Us

A bit about us

Check Your Head (CYH) is a youth driven organization located in Vancouver. CYH educates young people on global issues, by looking at the connection between global events and issues and local realities.Check Your Head provides education, resources, training and support for youth, who then facilitate workshops, organize events and coordinate projects promoting education and action around issues of globalization and social justice. We provide a forum where youth can learn about ideas and debate issues like sweatshops, international trade, corporate power and responsibility and many others.

Through our workshops, projects and special events, we are becoming a portal of possibility – young people working for positive progressive change and working for more say in what happens in our communities. CYH workshops provide education on various globalization issues and our projects and special events allow for more in depth discussion of various ideas and an examination of concrete action that can be taken to help build a better world.
A Bit of CYH History

In the fall of 1998, two of our founders were working for different organizations, which were both focusing on an international trade agreement, called the MAI (Multilateral Agreement on Investment.) The two intrepid organizers went to many a meeting were there would be only two people under the age of 30 – them! So they started talking, called some friends and they all got together and began to scheme. Eventually 12 young people, high school students, university students and others, started to organize a conference for young people on the MAI. In the fall of 1998 the MAI talks collapsed, the French government flexed a little muscle. So, the conference, called Check Your Head, then became a youth conference on Globalization. The conference was held in March of 1999 at UBC. Youth came from the lower mainland, Washington State, Alberta, the interior of BC and from Vancouver Island – we all had great time – whammy – an organization was born!

Well actually there was a lot more to it than that. It’s taken a lot of time, energy and dedication from a lot of people to develop the organization and its work. We also had the support of a lot of people and we owe them great thanks.

We opened an office in September 1999 and became a registered society in January of 2000. Since then a lot has happened. Now we offer a number of different workshops, provide resources, organize special events and have several projects on the go.

So, welcome to our world – enjoy!

Some folks who do stuff at CYH

Our Funders:

Foundations and community organizations:
The Vancouver Foundation
VanCity Credit Union
The Endswell Foundation
The Hamber Foundation
The Tides Canada Foundation
The United Way of the Lower Mainland – Partners in Organizational Development Program
Other organizations:
The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation
B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union
The Council of Canadians
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union
The Health Sciences Association of BC
The Hospital Employee’s Union
All of our wonderful individual donors and supporters
We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia