Co-Impact Teams

Teams are organized primarily through team leaders and co-leaders. Typically, interested leaders or groups contact EduDeo to discuss possible construction projects and travel dates. The team leader then recruits others to join the team from their church, family, workplace, or community. EduDeo's Church or School Relationship Managers stay in constant communication with the team leader throughout the entire process to provide information and assistance wherever possible.

EduDeo works with teams through the whole Co-Impact process – from team formation to post-trip debriefing. We work closely with our partners in-country to take care of all flight booking, accommodations, transportation, and other logistics. We offer your team cross-cultural learning resources, presentations to your support community, fundraising ideas, and so much more. Above all, we’re here to walk alongside every Co-Impact team with support, encouragement, and a listening ear.

A typical Co-Impact Team is made up of 8-12 participants, but we do our best to accommodate all groups. School teams are generally larger and range from 20-40 participants.

Participants range in age from energetic youth to experienced retirees. The minimum age to join a Co-Impact team is 16 years of age at the time of travel. Minors aged 16 and 17 (at the time of travel) are required to travel with notarized consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s). At a minimum, each team with minors must have 1 male and 1 female chaperone, regardless of the number of team members. Where a team has even one team member under the age of 18, there must be at least 1 chaperone (adult team member age 25+) accompanying them. Where there is a team with minors age 16+, EduDeo requires there to be 1 female and 1 male chaperone per 10 minors. 

Co-Impact teams begin preparing for travel and fundraising 7–9 months prior to their departure date. The time spent travelling as a part of the program can depend on the destination, but the length of time is typically 7–14 days. This includes travel, work, worship, and cultural days. Unique school teams such as International Block or Act Five travel for 4-6 weeks. Contact our School Relationship Manager for more information about these opportunities. 

Currently, Co-Impact teams travel to Belize, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Zambia.

We welcome all levels of skill and ability. Co-Impact teams are not just about work, but also building relationships with fellow team members and all those you meet in-country. Your team leader will speak to EduDeo's Church or School Relationship Managers about the level of construction difficulty your team is comfortable with.

Depending on the nature of your Co-Impact team's travel (Construction or Champion team), a typical day may consist of time spent at a school construction project, sharing meals together that are prepared by local hosts, participating in other educational ministry or service projects, and a time of worship and devotions with your team. Your time in-country will also include a cultural day where you will visit local sites, as well as a Sunday worship service at a local church. 

Participants are not allowed to remain in-country for vacation after their Co-Impact team is finished. The intent of a Co-Impact team is to further EduDeo’s ministry, and vacation additions can compromise this purpose. Vacation additions can also negatively affect team unity and create a negative perception of mission teams to EduDeo support communities.

No. Smoking (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and/or cannabis products) and consuming alcohol are prohibited while in-country. These practices hold negative connotations within partner countries and reflect poorly on your local hosts. If warranted, a participant may be sent home at their own cost for participating in these activities.

EduDeo Ministries provides Co-Impact team members with travel health insurance during their time volunteering on behalf of EduDeo. More information on the policy is provided during the onboarding process.

Each participant is required to submit a satisfactory background check to EduDeo prior to travelling. Depending on the structure of your team, EduDeo may require either a Criminal Record & Judicial Matter Check, or a Vulnerable Sector Check. EduDeo’s Church or School Relationship Managers will advise which is required when your team is formed.

EduDeo’s work is driven by our partners’ requests, and we regularly consult and discuss with them about their desire to receive teams. Teams raise a significant amount of funds required for projects – but they also demonstrate Christ’s love within the international family of God. Our partners regularly share their enjoyment of time spent with teams laughing, serving, and growing together as one global community. Like any non-profit work, international development – and particularly, short-term missions – can be harmful to people and communities when the local context is not considered or consulted. EduDeo is conscientious of this, and takes steps to ensure our Co-Impact teams are educated about cross-cultural experiences before they travel. Upon return, it's our prayer that teams will come home with a reframed perspective of Kingdom work; that they will be inspired to share their stories with others, become long-term advocates for global Christ-centred education and invest their international learnings and experiences into their local churches, schools, and neighbourhoods. For more information on healthy development practices, check out When Helping Hurts and Serving With Eyes Wide Open.

EduDeo Ministries must comply with Charity Law, the Income Tax Act and the Policies of the Canada Revenue Agency. EduDeo works hard to ensure it is in compliance in its Co-Impact team project work, and with fundraising and issuing tax receipts. EduDeo accepts funds designated to particular projects on the understanding that if the project cannot be carried out for whatever reason, or for any other reason determined by EduDeo, that EduDeo maintains the authority and right to reallocate those funds to its other charitable projects and activities. Donations designated in support of a Co-Impact team’s project are accepted as gifts to support the charitable purposes and project work of EduDeo Ministries with and through our local partners. If circumstances require the cancellation of a Co-Impact team, EduDeo will consider the feasibility of a new project for the Co-Impact team, and/or will carefully consider how the raised funds will be used to advance ministry goals more generally. By Canadian charitable law, EduDeo Ministries is unable to refund donations for any reason (this includes any and all donations made to fund the project work of a Co-Impact team). Based on the law, a donation is a gift that transfers ownership from the donor to the charity. Once the transfer is made, a charity is required by law to use the gift in carrying out its charitable purposes. 

Knowing a local language is a great way to build relationships with EduDeo's partners and their communities, however knowing a local language is not a requirement for forming or joining a Co-Impact team. Learning a new language can take months or years, and EduDeo will ensure interpreters are with your team to assist with communication. Prior to your team's travel, EduDeo will provide you with a list of common words and phrases that we encourage teams to become familiar with if possible, so that teams and communities can exchange basic phrases.

Alongside our international partners, construction teams serve communities by demonstrating Christ's love through action. Our international partners are responsible for Christ-centred schools; spaces where children come to learn about God's story in all areas of their learning. By supporting their work and helping to create safe, well-equipped classrooms and school buildings, more children can have the opportunity to attend a school where they can learn about Christ's love for them. In many of the communities where our partners work, there are different beliefs and faith backgrounds. Our partners desire for their schools to be places where children and their families can be introduced to - or grow in their faith - of Christ. During your time serving on a Co-Impact team, you may have conversations with parents, students, and community members where you can also share about the life-changing power of the Gospel.

EduDeo takes the safety of our volunteers, international partners, the communities they serve very seriously. We work closely with our international partners leading up to and during a Co-Impact team's time in country to ensure that it is safe for teams. This includes considering political, environmental, and other factors. EduDeo relies on travel advice and advisories from the Government of Canada to make decisions about the safety of team travel. EduDeo and our partners also consider the regionalization of travel advice in making decisions; for example, while a country may have a travel advisory, specific provinces or regions where teams are traveling may be deemed safe for Canadians to visit. All of this is considered when arranging travel.