 Your
counterpart *)
From the start
of the program, you will be paired with a member of the
exchange country team - this person is called your counterpart. You will live and/or do your community
service work with your counterpart. Through your counterpart
relationship you develop your ability to communicate in
another language, you learn to appreciate another culture,
and you develop your interpersonal and cross-cultural communication
skills.
* Participants in programs without
a Canadian phase don’t have counterparts.
Video Clip: |
 Counterparts Savana and Mamatou:
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Host community*
During your program, you will get
to know two host communities: one in Canada and another
in your exchange country. By living in host communities,
you learn to adapt to another culture and way of life. You
also experience and investigate development issues and concerns
of that community.
*Participants in programs without
a Canadian phase, only have one host community.
Host family
You and your counterpart will live with
a host family during the length of your program. These families
are selected by Canada World Youth, and you will meet them
when you arrive in your host community. By sharing in the
day-to-day life of your host family, you learn how to adapt
to another way of life, you more easily learn the language
of your host country and you develop your interpersonal
skills.
Volunteer work placement
You and your counterpart volunteer with
a local organization or business for a certain number of
days each week. Given that you will be asked to complete
various tasks and projects, we try to place you in an environment
that interests you. Through your volunteer work placement,
you learn new job-related skills and more about your community.
Community activities
During the length of the program,
you and your team find community projects, activities and
events in which you all want to get involved. By taking
part in community activities, you develop your sense of
active citizenship and the importance of your role in making
change in your community.
Non-formal education
We want you to learn a lot, but in a very
different way than school. Non-formal education refers to
guided learning and teaching through experience in real-life
settings. Non-formal education includes having a set of
planned learning objectives that are met through your involvement
in your program. Non-formal education also includes the
existence of an educational plan, a "map" of sorts
that helps make sense of the experiences you have during
your program.
Group educational activities
Approximately once a week, your team
comes together for group educational activities that focus
on issues related to intercultural communication, development
issues in your host community and larger issues related
to international development. During the Educational Activity
Days, you develop your ability to guide and facilitate your
own and your team's learning. You take personal responsibility
for your own learning and build on your analytical, leadership
and teamwork skills.
Team evaluations
By participating in team evaluations, you
learn the role of analysis and evaluation in project development.
You learn the importance of constructive criticism and communication
skills in sustaining positive group dynamics.
Self-assessment
Self-assessment helps you gain an understanding
of the role and value of self-reflection in learning through
experience. In a non-formal education setting, you not only
take responsibility for your own learning, you also take
responsibility for the evaluation of your learning: self-assessment
is a central part of non-formal education.
Supervisor
During the entire program, your group will
be under the supervision of two educators (a Canadian and
someone from the exchange country) hired by Canada World
Youth and its overseas partner. These supervisors ensure that all aspects of the
program run smoothly and guide the participants in their
learning. The supervisors are also the key contact people
in the community for the program – if there are problems
or questions related to participants or the program in general,
the supervisors are the people to speak to.
Partners
In order to carry out programs overseas,
Canada World Youth works with partner organizations in each
country. As well, we have many Canadian partners that work
with us to design and deliver programs. And, at the community
level, we work with partner organizations and businesses
to provide work placements for participants while in the
community. It’s thanks to our partners that Canada
World Youth is able to offer such an array of programs in
countries around the world.
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Talk to past participants 
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