Canada World Youth
E-News
November 2007

www.canadaworldyouth.org

Here’s a look at the latest news from Canada World Youth!

CWY participants plant 3,000 trees for the planet

Participants Katyanna Eales, Véronique Dupuis, and Shawn Quigley prepare to plant trees in Sudbury to neutralize the carbon dioxide emitted during their international flights.

From September 17 - 21, young Kenyan and Canadian participants in the Ontario/Kenya program planted more than 3,000 trees on the Sudbury land reclamation site, a place once so barren it was used by astronauts to simulate the moon! The participants’ goal was to neutralize the carbon dioxide emitted during their international flights. Known as Green Miles, this project gives young people a chance to do something concrete for the environment while learning about sustainable development.

During this ecology-focused week, our young volunteers participated in several environmental projects, including the clean-up of part of Junction Creek and teaching children about the importance of water during the Sudbury Children's Water Festival. This team will also plant trees in Kenya during the overseas portion of the program between December 2007 and February 2008.

The town of Amqui supports the village of Yélékébougou, in Mali

The Quebec town of Amqui has decided to do something remarkable for the residents of the village of Yélékébougou, in Mali: donate $5,000 to build four public toilets to be used by the villagers while attending their big weekly market.

This project was initiated by Gaëtan Ruest, the mayor of Amqui, who spoke to Marylène Plante and Issaka Diarra, the two supervisors of CWY’s 2007-2008 Amqui/Mali program about funding a micro-project in the host community of Yélékébougou, in Mali. The CWY group thus served as a link between the two communities that hosted them in Quebec and Mali!

Participants of the Amqui/Mali group in the village of Yélékébougou, Mali. With a $5,000 donation from the town of Amqui, the team will build four public toilets in the Malian village.

When they arrived in Africa, the CWY group met with the mayor of Yélékébougou, who mentioned that his community needed four latrines. Convinced of the value of this initiative, Mr. Ruest set about convincing the members of his circle to fund the project! Two thousand dollars were donated by the town of Amqui, with an additional thousand coming from Danielle Doyer, MLA from Matapédia, and another two thousand from Gilles Bergeron, general manager of the local credit union.

The young Canadian and Malian volunteers in the CWY program will help build the latrines – allowing them to see firsthand the concrete results of this partnership. The public toilets, which the villagers will pay to use, will provide a source of funding to be reinvested in other local micro-initiatives. A beautiful example of solidarity that, once again, shows the power of CWY to bring people of different cultures closer together.

Public engagement: our young people in action!

Our Hamilton team raises awareness about HIV/AIDS

The Canadian and Indian participants in our Ontario/India group organized “Bridging the gap”, a conference on the social issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and the ways to become involved in the fight against the pandemic.

The twenty young Canadian and Indian volunteers in our HIV/AIDS Ontario/India group have been very active during the Canadian phase of their program in Hamilton! On November 24, they organized a conference on the social issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and the ways to become involved in the fight against the pandemic. Called “Bridging the gap” and held in collaboration with the Hamilton AIDS Network, Oxfam Canada and students from McMaster’s University, the event involved over 70 people.

In September, the team also helped organize the Hamilton AIDS Walk for Life. Among other things, the team set up an information booth to dispel myths about HIV/AIDS, supported the walkers, and helped clean up after the event. The walk helped raise more than $24,000, money that will be used to provide direct services for people living with HIV/AIDS in Hamilton.

The CWY family stands up against poverty

On October 17, more than 3,200 participants, former participants, friends, and employees of Canada World Youth in twenty-six communities across the country participated in the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by standing up for one minute to speak out against poverty. In doing so, they joined the 43 million people around the world who participated in the United Nations Millennium campaign to demand a better and fairer world without poverty.

On the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the young Canadian and Indonesian volunteers on our team in Neepawa, Manitoba, stood up to speak out against poverty.

CWY is recruiting: tell your friends and families!

CWY is now recruiting candidates for programs beginning in the summer of 2008. You already know the positive impact CWY has on young people, so why not help us by encouraging the young people you know to participate in this unique experience!

In particular, we encourage you to talk to young men, young members of visible minorities, and young Aboriginals, since we are making a special effort to recruit more young members of these groups.

People who send us their applications by January 15, 2008, will be considered first for our 2008-2009 programs. It’s easy to register – just visit the CWY Web site or call us at 1-866-VOYAGE (1-866-786-9243).

The inestimable contribution of the communities that host our young people

This year, our programs are running in more than one hundred communities throughout Canada and in twenty-two different countries. Our young volunteers thus have an opportunity to forge strong ties with the families that house them, the colleagues who welcome them in various work environments, and other community members. Without all these people, the CWY program would not be possible. A big thank you to CWY’s many partners who, in Canada and around the world, ensure the success of our program. Your contribution is invaluable!

Thousands of young people agree: CWY changed their lives!

Into 2005-2006, CWY carried out an extensive assessment to determine the impact of its programs on participants and society as a whole. This major study with 578 respondents in five countries revealed that CWY has a strong, positive impact on participants, host families, and other community members. Visit our Web site to learn more.

Thirty-five years of active, engaged global citizens

The 2006-2007 annual report for Canada World Youth is now available. Last year, 1,500 young people from Canada and around the world participated in our programs in twenty-nine countries and dozens of Canadian communities. CWY also organized festivities to celebrate its 35th anniversary around the country. Download the full annual report.

The Global Learner program: an eye-opener for high school students

Suzanne Narain went to Costa Rica with a CWY Global Learner program in 2005.

In July 2005, Suzanne Narain participated in CWY’s Global Learner program as part of a group of young people from Ajax High School and the Duke of Edinburgh’s award organization. They traveled to Quebrada Grande, a small rural village in Costa Rica, lived with host families, and worked on a community service project. Susan offers a first-hand account of this life-changing experience:

“I went to Costa Rica with the intention of changing someone’s life or making a tremendous difference in a small rural community. I did change someone’s life: my own. I learned to appreciate the little things: gazing at the stars or playing soccer with local children. (…) Quebrada Grande may be a little under-privileged, but in my eyes, it is a land full of the richest people with the most amazing personalities and the biggest hearts.

Living in Canada, I now realize that I take many conveniences for granted: hot showers, paved roads, and easy access to telephones. I thought these amenities were not my concern as an average citizen, but the job of an urban planner or a Member of Parliament.

Costa Rica opened my eyes and made me think differently. In Quebrada Grande, these amenities were the concern of all members of the community. Everyone worked together to improve their environment and maintain the community’s infrastructure. Our own group lent a hand by painting the local school, fixing the steps that led into the rainforest bordering the community, and netting the fishery to prevent birds from eating the baby fish in the fish farm – a source of food for the community. We helped our host families and the community but, most importantly, built everlasting relationships with our hosts and group members.”

Canada World Youth works with partner organizations around the globe and with youth groups and schools across Canada to plan and coordinate exceptional opportunities for young people to take an active part in volunteer community projects. For more information about our Global Learner program call 1-888-421-9761 or visit our Web site.

To contact us: communication@cwy-jcm.org

We thank the Canadian International Development Agency, as well as our generous donors, for their invaluable financial support.