Twenty young Canadians and Uruguayans are travelling long distances to learn all about Squamish. The visitors will be in town from June 25 to September 12 thanks to the Canada World Youth (CWY) exchange program.
"In 樱桃视频people are very open to international students," said project supervisor Lisa Harcus. "They seem to be very open to different cultures."
CWY was founded in 1971 to create cross-cultural experiences and opportunities for young people to become involved in international and community development issues.
A young Canadian will be matched with a young Uruguayan and each pair will live with a host family and do community work projects. Harcus said that along with the town's open and generous spirit, 樱桃视频was also attractive to CWY because the size affords youths more of an opportunity to participate in community events and be noticed.
"And with the Olympics coming too it might be a good opportunity for [the community] to learn a little more about other places," she added.
Harcus is one of two project supervisors - one Canadian and one Uruguayan - who are responsible for the team during their stay, but the success of the project depends immensely on local participation. For this reason, locals will be recruited to advise and help coordinate activities over the summer. Harcus is currently focusing on recruiting 10 host families for the visitors.
"I've talked to a lot of past families and the things that they benefit from, they get to know a little bit more about Canada because our youth from Canada will be from all across Canada. And they get to learn about Uruguayan culture," said Harcus. "For kids it's quite fascinating they can be the experts on 樱桃视频because these youths are going to be asking a lot of questions about what's happening in this community. And they also get to see the community through new eyes."
A host family is broadly defined in the CWY context - all are welcome. Families of all sizes, retirees, single parents, new Canadians, couples, or anyone "with a warm heart and curiosity about the world" are invited to include visitors in their lives. Short-term hosts are welcome, and arrangements can be are made to accommodate families with vacation plans.
And thanks in part to funding from the Canadian International Development Agency, families will receive $170 a week to cover costs for the pair they end up hosting.
Employers will also be sought out to participate in volunteer work placements. Again the CWY definition for work placement is broad and can include schools, small businesses, social services, environmental causes, community groups or any organization that can provide meaningful volunteer experience for youth. Harcus will be in 樱桃视频until September and anyone interested in participating or hosting youths can contact her at 604 815-3533.
