For 9 years ending in 1986, the Canadian government sponsored a national youth volunteer service program called Katimavik (an Inuit word meaning "meeting place"). During its existence the program shared several characteristics with many youth corps in the United States: it served youth between the ages of 17 and 23 regardless of family income, it fostered youth development through both work and group living, and it placed some emphasis on environmental education. In its final program year (1985-1986), Katimavik had a budget of $19.7 million in Canadian funds ($14.1 million in U.S. currency) with slots for 1,584 participants in 132 groups throughout Canada. Katimavik's goals and design differed markedly from those of its counterpart program in the United States. The overriding objective of the Canadian program was to bring together Canadian youth from diverse backgrounds and teach them to live with and learn from each other. Work was seen not as an end in itself, but as a way of achieving or enhancing personal development among Katimavik participants. About 25 percent of participants' time had to be spent on work efforts in social service activities. Katimavik had some success in providing a volunteer work force to accomplish physical and social service work; however, because supervision of the corpsmembers was left to work sponsors rather than to Katimavik staff, the quality of the work varied greatly. It also appeared that the program's youth development-related goals were so wide ranging that they defied consistent fulfillment. (MN)