Articles of the Month

Programming your life to help others

Making aware of all programs and services offered or sponsored by the federal government is one of the Youth Café's missions. I am sure that many of you have asked yourselves once in your life, how I can help or how can I get involved? The following ideas, programs and initiatives just might help you answer those questions.

AFS Interculture Canada is an educational initiative which emphasises global education and intercultural understanding through exchange programs for youth and adults.

Most of their programs offer student exchanges which may be 1 year, a semester or a summer long. The program is offered to young Canadians aged between 15 and 18 years old. For those of you who may not fit the age gap, a solution is made available for you. Adults aged between 18 and 29 can choose from programs such as International Community Service, Internship or Young Workers programs. The great aspect of these programs is that participants experience the cultural and linguistic diversities which exist all around the world. For more in depth information on all programs visit the AFS web site at: http://www.afscanada.org

Another organisation which strongly believes in social solidarity is the Canadian Crossroads International (CCI). The CCI is a volunteer organization that actively helps in developing and making people aware of global issues through different cultures. By participating in their programs, one can contribute to a project by sharing their skills with their peers, learn about different social issues, gather an international co-op experience and most importantly exchange skills with fellow participants. If you would like to learn more about the CCI, visit the following web-site: http://www.cciorg.ca/

Canada World Youth is a national, non-governmental organization which is very popular among youths. It provides young people from Canada and around the world with the opportunity to travel, live and work in different communities. By doing so, they can learn about local and international development while gaining important job skills for the future. Canada World Youth offers four different programs. The largest is the Youth Exchange Program, during which participants spend half the time in a Canadian community and the other half overseas. Learn more about these programs on the following web-site: http://www.cwy-jcm.org/

These were just brief examples of programs which are made available to you. The Youth Café possesses documentation on all of these programs so don't hesitate and come visit us!!!

This article has been provided by Youth Café - A Service Canada Access Centre located in downtown Montreal that offers youth the necessary tools for a full and active social participation, all in one place.

The Café's mission is to offer better access to information, services, programs and ressources from most federal departments as well as the Youth Employment Strategy.

We ecourage you to visit Youth Café next time you are in Montreal or visit a Service Canada Access Centre near you.