1. What is the Youth Leaders in Action program?
During the Youth Leaders in Action program, a team of 9 young people from Canada and 9 young people
from a partner country do volunteer work together for 6 months: 3 months in a Canadian
community and 3 months in a community in a partner country. Each Canadian participant
is paired with a participant from the exchange country for the entire program.
What sets this program apart from other similar programs is its reciprocity. In
addition to discovering a new part of the world, you'll also have a chance to learn
more about your own country: Canada!
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2. Who can participate?
You must be:
- A Canadian citizen or landed immigrant
- Aged 17 to 24
- In good health
- Open-minded and interested in learning
Canada World Youth subscribes to diversity and equal opportunity in its recruitment
efforts. It welcomes applications from indigenous peoples, visible and ethnic minorities,
persons with disabilities, women, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender
identities, and others who may contribute to greater diversity.
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3. How much does it cost?
To participate in the program, you must make a financial contribution as follows:
- Registration fee of CAN$250
- Pre-program costs: medical exam, passport, vaccinations
- Minimum fundraising of CAN$2800 to support Canada World Youth programs. Don't worry:
we'll explain how to do this effectively.
- Your pocket money
Canada World Youth covers the majority of the 6-month program costs:
- Domestic and international travel
- Insurance (life and liability insurance in Canada and overseas and health insurance
overseas)
- Housing
- Food
- Educational materials
- Support for overseas partners and communities
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4. What happens between the time I apply and the beginning of the project?
Here's the time line for the steps between the time you apply and the beginning
of the project:
First step: Confirmation of interest
- You apply on-line and receive confirmation of your application
- Mid-January: you confirm that you are still interested in participating in CWY by
completing an on-line questionnaire
- End of January: We carry out a weighted draw based on socio-demographic criteria
(language, gender, region, and ethnic origin)
Second step: medical assessment
- End of January: If your name is chosen during the weighted draw, we'll ask you to
send us your medical information as quickly as possible
Third step: preparation
- When we receive your medical information, we'll invite you to participate in an
on-line chat to provide you with more details about the program
- Mid-March: We'll carry out a second pre-selection process based on socio-demographic
criteria (language, gender, region, and ethnic origin).
- Mid-April: If you are chosen during the second pre-selection process, we'll invite
you to a preparatory meeting where you will receive additional information about
the program (its structure, mission, educational approach, and how to prepare for
it) and be able to meet members of CWY. This will be a chance for you and for us
to see if the program is really right for you.
- The week following the meeting: Together, we'll confirm your participation, and
you'll be placed either in a program or on a waiting list.
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5. Can I choose my destination?
Unfortunately, you can't choose your destination. But you'll have a chance to indicate
your preferences, and we'll do our best to respect them.
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6. Does CWY offer programs in dangerous parts of the world?
Participant safety is our top priority. For this reason, all CWY programs take place
in safe countries. If a crisis were to develop in a country where one of our programs
was taking place, a decision would quickly be made. Depending on the gravity of
the situation, the program might be cut short, transferred to another country, or
cancelled, with participants returned home.
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7. Where will I stay?
You'll live with two host families chosen by CWY?3 months with a Canadian family
and 3 months with a family in the exchange country. (You won't be staying with your
own family, but with families chosen by CWY in the communities where the program
takes place.) Given the type of experience CWY offers, we can't promise you'll have
your own room, or even running water or electricity. But you'll at least have a
bed. Don't worry: you may have to ?rough it? a bit, but you'll be safe.
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8. What type of volunteer work will I do?
We offer a wide variety of volunteer work projects. Depending on the province and
the exchange country in the program you are chosen for, you might, for example:
- Do farm work in a village in Quebec or Mali
- Teach French or English to school groups in British Columbia or Ukraine
- Participate in a new environmental project, such as tree-planting or ecotourism
projects in Alberta or Bolivia
- Participate in a new health-care project, such as developing and holding workshops
on basic health-care issues in New Brunswick or Ghana
When you start your program, you'll learn more about what you will be doing in Canada
and your exchange country. You can't choose your work project, but you'll have a
chance to indicate your preferences, and we'll do our best to respect them.
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9. Will my counterpart be the same sex as me?
Usually, your counterpart will be the same sex as you, since you'll be living with
the same host families and you'll probably share the same rooms. In the unlikely
case that your counterpart is of the opposite sex, you'll have separate rooms.
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10. Will I need to learn another language?
You don't need to speak a second language to be selected for the program. But we
strongly encourage you to start learning the languages of the province and exchange
country in which your program will take place as soon as you know what they are.
You'll also be able to continue learning these languages during your volunteer work
placements and within your host families. This will make your intercultural experiences
all the richer!
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11. Who supervises the projects?
Your group will be accompanied by two field supervisors?one from Canada and one
from the exchange country ? who are chosen by CWY and its partner in the exchange
country. Your project supervisors will be your main resource people throughout the
program, making sure everything runs smoothly and facilitating the group's learning
process.
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12. What are the ground rules?
CWY has 3 basic rules:
- Respect the law: You must be aware of and respect the laws of Canada and the exchange
country.
- Stay safe and healthy: Through your actions and behaviour, you must protect the
health and safety of yourself and others.
- Participate in a positive and responsible way: Your behaviour has an impact on you,
your group, your host communities, our partner organization, and the reputation
of Canada World Youth. Your participation should help create a positive experience
for all concerned and ensure that other young people can benefit from the program
in years to come.
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13. Will I have free time? Is it possible to leave the group during the program
or to receive visitors?
You will occasionally have free time, which you may decide to spend on your own.
However, one of the goals of the program is to enjoy a full intercultural experience
with your group by integrating into your host community. For this reason, we feel
it is important that you not have visitors or leave the group, unless of course
there is a serious reason such as a death in the family. Your project supervisors
will discuss this with you at the beginning of the program.
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14. Can I extend my stay in the exchange country after my program ends?
A group debriefing takes place when you return to Canada, and we see this as an
integral part of the program. This means that, unfortunately, you can't extend your
stay in the exchange country.