Rev. Carla Toth Blakely
Ontario/Indonesia 1985-1986
Ordained pastor
 

I was touched by many things during the program. The whole experience has given me a different way to view the world. I wrote in my journal that I was considering a career in interior design. But after living in rough housing and sleeping on mats, I knew that I could not do that. I also wrote about how ironic it was that I had struggled with body image issues, then gone to a country that loved my height. It gave me a new understanding of me… There are many areas in which my Canada World Youth experience has been pivotal in relation to the person I have become. But it doesn’t stop there. In many of my sermons, I use this information to urge people to challenge the status quo, to speak up for others, to support social justice initiatives and, when I see that happening, I am ever so thankful for the experience you allowed me to participate in.

Ben Chapman
Quebec/Mali 1986-1987
Director of Human Resources, Doctors Without Borders Canada
 

Nothing will ever compare to the connection that you make with the local people as a CWY exchange participant. Somehow you are able to shed most of your intercultural baggage and really share with people on a deeply personal, trusting level. I have often wanted to savour that feeling again. Mali is special as well. Perhaps partly because of this experience, I have yet to experience a place as fascinating and wonderful…Upon returning to Canada, I learned of the International Development Studies program at the University of Toronto. I was eventually accepted into the program – a veritable “nest” of former CWYers at that time – and have maintained a career in international development or humanitarian assistance ever since.

Martin Charron
Ontario/Peru
1984-1985
Assistant Director and Trade Commissioner, Canadian Trade Office
 

I was a participant in Canada World Youth when I was mid-way through my university studies in economics. The transition from theory to practice was a shock! To go from reading books and articles on development economics one day, then to be in the slums of Lima the next. From theorizing on the merits of agrarian reform one day, then actually witnessing the situation of Peruvian farmers the next. From participating in an abstract discussion on problems related to Third World debt one day, then the next day being right in the midst of the economic and social development of a country crushed under the weight of a debt it drags around like a ball and chain. Once I was back behind my desk at school, I had no choice but to link my education to what I had seen and lived during my CWY experience.

Andrew Creeggan
Quebec/Rwanda/Uruguay 1990-1991
Musician, member of the Brothers Creeggan and
former member of the Barenaked Ladies

The exchange was…well…an experience like no other. Ups and downs, and constant learning about my limits. Journal writing kept me in contact with my changing perspective, and I still return to re-read my account of those eight months. In retrospect, I have revisited Uruguay many times in my creative output. I wrote many poems and did a lot of contemplating that shows up often in the music that I have made. The skills that I learned as a by-product of the program have come in handy. Group situations are more familiar, and I’m much more in contact with my strengths and weaknesses. French and Spanish were picked up during the program, and my world is richer as a result. Lastly, there’s the old cliché – “think global and act local” – that has become part of my consciousness. The idea that community is what you make it. Big or small, central or remote, rich or poor, there’s a lot of good living possible. That is what Canada World Youth helped me to realize.
 

Pascale Fournier
New Brunswick/Egypt 1995-1996
Lawyer

After finishing my law studies at Université Laval and taking my oath as a lawyer in 1998, I returned to Egypt to get involved with equality rights for Muslim women. Rania Gomaa, my counterpart, was waiting for me. She is a tireless fighter with a limitless reserve of hope that gives you the motivation, when you are feeling noble and brave, to seize the reins of power and try to alter the course of events. At the end of my stay, we produced and hosted a televised debate on the place of women in Egyptian society, which was a follow-up to the film we made in Moncton during the (CWY) program called “Feminism: is it still necessary in Canadian society in 1995?” This experience abroad taught me about the changing nature of the world. I began to fight against the political and social barriers that those in power introduce to prevent the development of ideas and values that run counter to the established order. These women taught me that all discriminatory ideology, even in the name of religion, can and should be criticized and destroyed, and that the law, when all is said and done, trails behind social justice.

Brian Gorlick
Quebec / Bolivia 1980-1981
Lawyer, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Regional office for Nordic and Baltic countries
 

Doing international work in a field where one can help others is a privilege; just as Canada World Youth was a privilege for those of us who were fortunate enough to have undergone the experience, which helped to shape our creativity, our empathy and our sense of the possible. There are many close CWY friends who are out there doing their thing, whatever that may be. We changed and grew, not only within ourselves, but in our sense of right and wrong, and what is unjust and needs to be corrected. I’m glad to have had the experience with Canada World Youth, and, although it may be too ambitious to suggest that it changed my life, the experience certainly did change my perspective, for the better and forever.
 

Iqbal Hamza
Prairies/India 1987-1988
Post-doctoral Research Fellow,
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis

Those six months were a pivotal point in my life because I learned how to be independent, compassionate, confident, and I honed my leadership and organizational skills. However, the program also inculcated a sense of social awareness with well-placed, group-oriented actions, and the ability to adapt to a dynamic and changing environment. The knowledge base and qualities I acquired during and after the Canada World Youth program significantly influenced my career choice. I am currently an academic research scientist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, working on real global issues, that of human malnutrition and disease. At the same time, I get an opportunity to teach undergraduate and graduate students, instilling in them the same qualities that have guided me from my CWY days. I feel that I can now be a positive influence on young minds and affect aspects of international policy that will have a tremendous impact on our daily lives.

Jocelyn Knoester
Ontario/Indonesia 1996-1997
Student, International Development Studies
Former coordinator of EDGE (Education and Development in a Global Environment),
Atlantic region past participants' association

I could say all of the usual stuff about Canada World Youth increasing my global perspective and giving me a better grasp of and interest in global issues, and the role we all play as global citizens. That would be very true. I am currently studying International Development Studies at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, and I am involved fairly extensively in various NGOs that deal with social justice, environmental and global issues. I could say that Canada World Youth gave me the confidence to believe that I, as a female youth from rural Ontario, not only could but had an obligation to be active and work toward creating positive change in my community. Again, this is also very true. Mostly, Canada World Youth changed my outlook on life. More than being much more open-minded and compassionate, I find such joy in all of the little details of life that surround me. I love being part of a community and especially being an active part of one. I also love the diversity that exists in communities: diversity of opinions, diversity of cultures and diversity of ideals.

Rosario Adapon Turvey
Canada/Philippines 1974-1975
Assistant Professor
International Studies, University of New Brunswick (Saint John)

For almost three decades, my Canada World Youth participation has been a great influence in my graduate education, career path and international work. I was one of the participants in the first Philippines-Canada World Youth Exchange Program in 1974-1975. In reflecting on my CWY experience, it was not just a “veritable socio-cultural immersion,” it was a very educational and meaningful youth development experience. My interest in international issues did not stop when I completed the program in 1975. The program helped me to decide which road to take in terms of my career path to get into the business of development. Through CWY, I found that people from east to west, and from north to south could work together in a cooperative way to address the multi-faceted issues that beset the developing world. With the presence of CWY, there is no doubt that Canada is in the forefront of world youth development.

Lana Eka Yani
British Columbia/Indonesia 1988-1989
Secretary of International Affairs, Indonesian Women's Congress

Canada World Youth gave me a dear counterpart and Canadian friends. Being around them made me realize that I am not alone and my people are not alone – we share this world with other people. During the program, we learned how to live in peace, unity and harmony. I believe as alumni of CWY, we should all maintain these feelings. We should always try to be what my Canadian friends often call me – a citizen of the world. And this is the reason why I am now giving much of my time as secretary of International Affairs for the Indonesian Women’s Congress. I am only taking one step at a time, but I will take these small steps in order to achieve peace and harmony in my country and the world.