Health and Safety: Our # 1 Priority

For Canada World Youth and our exchange country partners, the health and safety of our participants is our number one priority.   For over 3 decades, we have consistently run quality programs that have transformed the lives of young people.  We could not have developed a reputation as a responsible organization without an ongoing commitment to preparing young people properly and to maintaining safe and secure environments within which the programs take place. 

Medical selection process

All potential participants must undergo a medical examination and tests in order to join the program.  While Canada World Youth believes in making the program accessible to a wide range of individuals, all Canadian participants must be able to demonstrate that they have a level of health that does not present an unacceptable risk to themselves or anyone that they will come in contact with during the program.  Exchange country participants must undergo a similar medical screening process mandated by Canadian embassies and High Commissions in order to get a visa. 

Medical program

Once in the program, all participants receive an orientation to healthy behaviours in different environments and training in basic first aid.  They are supervised by qualified staff who knows how to access professional health services in both countries.  Canada World Youth has 3 medical specialists under contract (2 travel medicine specialists and a psychiatrist) who are responsible for developing the medical program, screening Canadian candidates and providing advice to Canadian field staff at a distance to supplement existing medical services.  Finally, Canada World Youth has an extensive travel insurance program that gives our participants access to the best local medical care possible, up to and including emergency evacuation to Europe or Canada.   

Risk Assessment: Selection of Partners and Countries

Among other qualities, potential partners are selected on the basis of their previous experience in planning and hosting international exchange programs.  They should also have sufficient institutional capacity to access appropriate communication, transport and medical facilities in cases of emergency.  A qualified staff person visits all potential partners and we seek the advice of other Canadian and international NGOs as well as the in-country Canadian diplomatic officials before signing a Protocol agreement. 

A Range of Risks

Natural disasters: it is extremely rare that participants are anywhere near them.

o         CWY has emergency evacuation insurance. 

Chronic health challenges:  Canadians participants’ immune system may not be very resistant to opportunistic viruses and bacteria that exist in the environments of some of our in partner countries’ host communities.  Secondly, all participants and field staff need to be aware of the risks related to the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

o         Participants are oriented to the best ways of staying healthy in a new environment.  The focus is on prevention: eating appropriate foods, drinking clean water, avoiding too much direct sunlight, sleeping with a mosquito net and receiving appropriate vaccinations.  Host families are guided to overcome these challenges as well and project supervisors monitor participants’ behaviour to ensure that they are taking responsibility for their own health.

o         HIV/AIDS: Participants receive orientation related to safe sexual practices and standard safety procedures.  They are informed about the environmental risks and most importantly, they are challenged to assume personal responsibility for the consequences of their behaviour.  Finally, every team of participants located in an area of high HIV infection has appropriate medication and supplies for emergency treatment.

Exceptional health challenges:  From time to time, there are outbreaks of disease of an exceptional nature (e.g. SARS in China and Toronto). 

o         CWY’s doctors monitor such outbreaks and advise the organization about additional precautions to take and what areas to avoid if necessary.  As Canadians have experienced with some of the reporting around SARS in Toronto, sensationalist media coverage can often exaggerate the real risk on the ground of such incidents.

Accidents:  By far the greatest risk to participants remains car accidents.

o         Even if participants are licensed to drive a car, they are not allowed to drive a vehicle on a road either in Canada or in the partner country.

o         All participants and field staff receive first aid training.

Violence due to political instability or terrorism: In some parts of the world (including North America), one could be in the wrong place at the wrong time and be a victim of random or deliberate violence.

o         In selecting partners and countries, Canada World Youth consults with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (see, for example, their travel advisories at http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/ctry/reportpage-en.asp) and studies the recommendations of other countries.  More importantly, we consult directly with the Canadian Embassy or High Commission in the country because travel advisories issued in Ottawa are often for the casual traveler and sometimes make blanket statements about the entire country.  An Embassy official, who understands the nature of a CWY program and has a grasp of the diversity of the country, is better placed to give a more nuanced or precise recommendation.  For example, the trouble spot could be hundreds of kilometers away or limited to a specific event. 

o         CWY consults with our partner organizations and with other Canadian and international NGOs about conditions in the country as well.

o         Timing: Sometimes political instability or a medical challenge can be traced to a particular event (e.g. elections, flooding of wells) that has a limited period.  In such situations, we are liable to adopt a “wait and see” approach.  From our experience, such situations can stabilize quite quickly and allow a program to continue.

Canada World Youth monitors every challenging situation and will not hesitate to postpone or cancel a program if it feels that the risks to participants’ health and safety are important.  In such situations, we will try to transfer the participants to a program in another country if it is possible.  If such a program is already underway, we do not hesitate to evacuate the participants.

Communications: If you have any questions about a specific program or country, do not hesitate to contact us at 1800 605 3526.