The following is a message written by Canada World Youth's founder, the Honourable Jacques Hébert, to mark the organization's 30th anniversary in 2001.

It’s a familiar refrain from communities across Canada: “Before Canada World Youth came to our town, we’d never met a Black or Thai person, or developed a friendship with a young Muslim from Egypt or Malaysia. You’ve brought us such a wealth of experience!”

Since the tragic events of September 11, the Western media have scrambled to explain the Arab world to us, offering us the opinions of supposed experts on Islam. As they deliver their speeches, high level politicians never fail to express, somewhat cautiously, their tremendous empathy for Muslims — a laudable move, albeit a little late in coming…

For 30 years, Canada World Youth has clearly demonstrated that people of different cultures, languages, religions and backgrounds can live and work together, and learn to understand, respect and like one another.

The proof of this is strikingly evident with the 20,000 young Canadian men and women who have lived the Canada World Youth experience in 60 different countries since 1971. These countries span the five continents and are as diverse as Morocco, Congo, Somalia, Yemen, Fiji Islands, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Peru.

Once again this year, our participants will learn about the values of Islam in Tunisia, Egypt and other partly Muslim African countries such as Mali, Benin and Burkina Faso

A few days ago, I received a letter from a former Ontario participant, Nicolle Melanson-Powell, describing an extraordinary reunion held in Peterborough this summer. After 25 years, the participants in her group, whose exchange country had been mostly Muslim Malaysia, got together to reminisce.

“Since the reunion,” Nicolle wrote, “many of us have remained in close contact, thanks to the accessibility afforded by the Internet. When September 11 launched terror and tragedy at us, many of us turned for support to a reunited CWY team that had deep and stable roots. We have shared our grief, comforted one another, called upon each other for support in prayer and action, and remembered how small and interconnected the world is. That is what CWY taught us. The world is small. We are all neighbours. ‘Foreign’ has become a foreign word.”

Over the years, we’ve received thousands of letters from former participants. But even one, like Nicolle’s, is ample reward for those who, during the past 30 years, have devoted their time and energy to Canada World Youth, working to prove that peace is possible.