YMCA Exchanges Canada: JP - Toronto 2011

YMCA Youth Exchanges Canada gives Canadian Youth, aged 12-17, a chance to expand their vision of themselves and their country.
YMCA Youth Exchanges is an exchange between two groups of equal size in different communities. Each group hosts the other group. Our group will have 25 participants.
Exchange activities – preparing to travel, travelling, and hosting, and doing follow-up events – are opportunities for participants to work with their community, develop their interpersonal and group skills, and learn about the diversity of Canada and its people.
YMCA Youth Exchanges Canada is open to groups from all regions, cultures, religions, ethnic groups, and economic circumstances.
The group prepares to host their twin and travel to their twin community. They collect information, contact their exchange group, and raise funds and public awareness.
In this process, the group involves the community, learns about the geographic, social, and cultural realities of their twin group, and increase their knowledge of their home community.
Groups experience the diversity of Canada by visiting the twin community, and learn to see their own community through their ‘twin’s eyes’ when hosting.
When it comes to planning for the exchange, youth are often an untapped resource. The participants will help plan, take on responsibilities, and organize activities. It will lead to a greater commitment to the exchange and a greater ownership of their experience.
The group consolidates the exchange experience by participating in follow-up activities and evaluation exercises.

Update (May 18, 2011)

During the month of March, 25 students and three staff members were fortunate enough to travel to Toronto through the YMCA Youth Exchanges Program. Students saw a variety of sights and saw the ‘big city lifestyle’ first-hand. The JP Group visited the Hockey Hall of Fame, Niagara Falls, some GREAT shopping malls, and got to know their Toronto ‘twins.’

Update (May 18, 2011)

The John Pritchard group hosted the Toronto group during the month of May. We had a fun time visiting such Winnipeg sights as The Forks and The Manitoba Museum. Mr. Giasson planned a fun-filled outdoor survival day out in the bush, and we did some service work at Winnipeg Harvest.
We will never forget our ‘twins’ – we all hope to see them again some day!