Sechelt will host a team of 20 young people from Canada and China on a Canada World Youth (CWY) exchange program from August to December. Their three-month stay in the community will be the first portion of a seven-month learning experience, with the second phase taking place in China (Zhenzhou, Henan Province).
Last year, Sechelt successfully hosted a Canada World Youth exchange program with Brazil.
Canada World Youth is a private, non-profit organization that offers young people a non-formal education program based on community and international development. The program is carried out through exchanges between Canadian youth aged 17 to 20 years and young people in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central and Eastern Europe. CWY is funded by private donors and by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Since 1971, over 28,000 young people have participated in CWY exchange programs, which have taken place across Canada and in over 60 countries. Thousands of people throughout the world have shared this unique learning experience with them, and thousands of families and communities have welcomed them into their homes or work environments.
Ten young Canadians have been selected from across Canada to participate in this exchange. Our partner, the China Youth Centre for International Personnel Exchanges (CYCIPE), a subsidiary of the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF), will choose 10 Chinese counterparts from communities in China. The participants will be accompanied by two qualified project supervisors who will be responsible for the group.
The Canadian project supervisor, Terence Lowe, will arrive in Sechelt shortly to begin the project development for the exchange. The group of 20 participants and the exchange country project supervisor will arrive in late August.
In preparation for the arrival of participants, Lowe is looking for host families and volunteer work placements for the exchange. What CWY looks for in a host family is an openness and enthusiasm to share part of their home life with two young people. Volunteer work placements may be considered in the areas of social services, health, education, non-profit organizations, agriculture, environment and small business. Each host family and work placement will have two exchange participants, one from Canada and one from China, for the duration of the stay in Sechelt. CWY provides a billeting stipend to host families. In exchange for hosting participants, it is hoped that having these young people in homes and work places will enrich the lives of community members. Anyone wanting further information about becoming a host family or providing a volunteer work placement or general information about the program prior to Lowe's arrival in Sechelt may contact Tracy Anderson, program officer at the Western Canada Satellite Office of Canada World Youth in Vancouver, toll free at 1-800-889-6069. Lowe can be reached directly at: [email protected].
