This summer, 16- and 17-year-old students have the opportunity to travel to an area of Canada where their official second language is spoken for an immersion experience including a paid job and group activities in the community. In order to earn the opportunity, students are asked questions about their preferred areas of employment. On the exchange, they will work full-time in a community-based organization, such as a non-profit or public sector organization. They will be paid the minimum wage of the province they’re working in. Past placements have included working at a media arts company, interning at a museum or cultural centre, working as a camp counsellor at a science and technology camp, and counsellor-in-training at a soccer camp. Interviews also include questions about food, pets, and chores, so staff can ensure youth are well-matched with host families in their new community. In houses and apartments across the country, with different cultural and religious backgrounds, structures, and expectations, students experience another community and family’s way of living. They also get to practice their second language daily. Local coordinators organize activities on Saturdays, Sundays, and one evening during the week. The program covers all activity costs. Activities may include arts and culture, sports, truth and reconciliation, community service, or a participant's choice, including: Shakespeare in the Park in Toronto, Ontario Circus school in Quebec City, Quebec Visiting Tsawenhohi House at a Huron-Wendat reserve near Quebec City to make dreamcatchers, bake bannock bread, and discuss Indigenous knowledge and storytelling with community elders Visiting amusement parks Volunteering at a local animal shelter For more information click here.