International Experience Canada

A #CanadaWeWant Theme Team Report

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Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................. 2

PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................................................... 3

BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 3

THE GUIDING LENSES ............................................................................................................................................. 4

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ................................................................................................................................................. 4 RURAL AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES ............................................................................................................................ 5 STRUCTURAL RACISM ............................................................................................................................................... 5 TRUTH LEADING TO RECONCILIATION ........................................................................................................................... 6

THE OUTCOMES YOUTH WANT.............................................................................................................................. 7

RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 9

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Purpose

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Background

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Acknowledgements

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Youth Forums Canada for providing us with travel dollars to attend this conference. Thank you as well to YMCA Cedar Glen, The Students Commission of Canada, Sharing the Stories Research and Evaluation Platform, Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement, RBC Foundation, and UNICEF Canada the many other funders of the #CanadaWeWant Conference 2020, and all of the organizers, elders, adult allies, and facilitators. Thank you to The Students Commission Conference Planning Committee for their hard work. Thank you to the federal government representatives and policymakers that attended the Conference and who will be responsible for ensuring that our voices are heard and valued.

The Guiding Lenses

To ground conversations on how to expand work and travel opportunities for Canadian youth the theme group used the Student Commission’s four guiding lenses: Children’s’ Rights, Structural Racism; Rural and Remote Communities; and Truth Leading to Reconciliation. The group had wide ranging discussions on how these lenses may influence the topic of youth work and travel in order to better understand the barriers that Canadians face so that youth can take advantage of youth mobility opportunities. The group had varying degrees of interest and insight for each lens which led to different levels of detail and analysis for each topic.

Children’s Rights

The group agreed that the lens with the least impact on youth work and travel was that of Children’s Rights which focused on the rights outlined in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. The only section of the convention that the group believed was important to consider for the topic was Article 17 which outlines that signatory states must ensure that the child has access to information and material that is pertinent to their social, spiritual and moral wellbeing. From this Article the group agreed that, due to the demonstrated benefits of youth mobility, they have the right to be informed of the work and travel opportunities available to them.

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Rural and Remote Communities

Discussion was held on the realities of youth living in rural and remote communities as multiple members of the group identified that they were living in a rural or remote community or had in the past. Youth from these communities highlighted that access to the internet and cell phones can be a challenge, food costs are significant, services are limited, and basic provisions often demand significant travel time to reach.

When discussing how these realities affect youth mobility, the group highlighted the psychological effects of isolation in remote communities and how this leads to youth having a sense that they cannot picture themselves traveling outside of the country. Multiple youth spoke about fearing culture shock. They noted experiencing culture shock the first time they travelled to a city larger than their own. They could not imagine themselves spending a significant amount of time in a larger metropolitan area such as Toronto. Consequently, thinking about travelling to a foreign country could also be daunting. It was also discussed

that it can be very difficult to leave rural and remote communities due to the more communitarian structure of these communities and the responsibilities individual youth have to their families and neighbours.

In terms of the IEC program, the group discussed the significant barrier of certain partner countries requiring an in-person application process. However, it was also discussed that, now that biometrics will be required by all countries it may be a significant challenge for youth from rural and remote communities to apply for any partner country as these services will require significant travel to obtain biometrics. As well, in addition to the extra costs of travel to apply for the Program, there will be additional costs to travel to the destination country.

Structural Racism

The lens that sparked the most conversation was Structural Racism. The group discussed that structural racism could inhibit youth from communities of colour from taking advantage of work and travel opportunities abroad. This manifests itself in many ways. First and foremost, not all countries have anti-discrimination protections as stringent as those Canada. The group expressed that this represents a significant structural barrier for Canadian

“You’re so isolated, you can’t even picture yourself traveling

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youth of colour as discrimination can affect their ability to find work and housing while abroad and increases safety concerns and anxiety for them while traveling.

Beyond the laws of other countries, the group discussed that some program elements of IEC appear to contribute to structural racism. The exclusion of any countries with a majority population identifying as Black in IEC’s partner country list was perceived as a possible indicator of structural racism. The group felt that the lack of countries from the global south is not only problematic from an ethical perspective but from a promotional one, as this could signal to youth of colour in Canada that this program is not meant for them. At the very least, this exclusion would lead to less interest among youth in these communities.

Truth Leading to Reconciliation

With roughly half of the theme group comprised of youth from Indigenous communities, there was extensive conversation about truth leading to reconciliation. The group raised the many ways in which Indigenous youth may face barriers to taking advantage of work and travel opportunities abroad or may be uninterested in them. A major barrier that the group discussed was the fraught relationship between the Government of Canada and Indigenous communities. There can be a significant amount of distrust among some Indigenous youth towards the federal government and some Indigenous communities could be less willing to take in IEC messaging and in may also wish to not receive the information at all. Elder influence was also universally identified among the group as having a significant effect on the way they think about work and travel. Two youth in particular expressed that they joined the group to understand more about the benefits of international work and travel to be able to convince their families to allow them to go abroad.

Conversely, the group discussed the possibility that Indigenous youth may experience less racism abroad, and that it may be a good experience for Indigenous youth in Canada to live outside of the colonial history of Canada and its sociocultural effects on their communities. However, it was noted that many Indigenous communities face the same considerations as youth from rural and remote communities and thus financial support may be needed to aid with the extra costs of accessing work and travel opportunities abroad.

“Foreign countries can be unsafe & racist towards POC [people of colour]”

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The Outcomes Youth Want

Once the group discussed the barriers that different communities in Canada face in taking advantage of work and travel abroad opportunities, they created a ‘dream tree’ that expressed what they wanted to see in the youth mobility space to encourage and enable more Canadian youth to work and travel abroad. The ‘dream tree’ is a logic model that outlines the supports, concrete actions to be taken and the intermediate and long-term outcomes they wish to see.

During this process youth expressed that they wanted the following goals to be achieved within the long term, which they defined as the next five to seven years:

• Job placements abroad: the group was very concerned that they had no sense of how to find work abroad and expressed a desire for job placement options to be available. This would reduce anxiety and they could feel more secure in the knowledge that they would have a job when they arrived.

• Support for youth while abroad: loneliness, anxiety and depression while abroad were concerns for the group. They expressed that having support services to aid with these social and mental health concerns would help to make youth mobility more common in Canada, and make it a safer and more fulfilling experience.

• A more accessible application process: with in-person applications and biometrics needed by some countries, the group expressed that a long-term goal of IEC should be to have a more accessible application process that would help to reduce the costs and time for youth, particularly from rural and remote communities.

• Build trust with Indigenous communities: given the distrust between some Indigenous communities and the Government of Canada, youth in the group expressed that IEC should contribute to reconciliation efforts through meaningful engagement in order to build trust over time.

• Online network of travelers that advise on how to travel: youth expressed a desire for there to be an online network of

alumni of IEC that could speak about their experiences online to inform youth considering going abroad.

Goals for the world… “End Racism…Climate Change…Less Inequality…Less wars…”

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• Resources to reduce feelings of being alone: Youth in the group were universally concerned about feeling alone while abroad. They expressed that through numerous initiatives IEC should aim to reduce these fears and aid youth feel less alone while abroad.

• Partnerships for more affordable travel for youth in rural and remote communities: given the increased costs for travel for youth from rural and remote communities, youth expressed that IEC should work towards finding partnerships that could aid in reducing the costs for rural youth to apply for IEC, and to travel to partner countries.

• Funding for youth travel: given the high costs of travel within and outside of Canada, youth expressed that there should be funding to aid youth work and travel abroad.

• Enhanced marketing and promotion between IEC and community organizations: Youth identified their community organizations as a useful resource to tap in to in order to both inform youth about IEC and to partner on possible exchange opportunities. This was seen as particularly important to reach youth from communities of colour as they are often not reached through traditional marketing and engagement initiatives.

• More diverse options for countries: youth were very passionate about the need for more diverse country options. They expressed that IEC should have more partners in the global south and that finding African partners should be a priority.

Youth expressed that they wanted the following intermediate outcomes to be achieved within the next one to three years:

• Parents are better informed about international work and travel options and their benefits: youth identified the views of their parents and elders in their communities as a significant barrier for them to be able to work and travel abroad. They believe that a concerted effort to ensure that parents are informed of the benefits of youth mobility as well as the feasibility of youth work and travel is needed.

• IEC’s promotional efforts are seen by youth: by learning more about where youth gather, IEC can better target its promotion both online and in person to ensure that youth are learning about IEC’s message.

How does travelling help achieve our goals…. “Gaining understanding & insight; more humble…Working in developing renewable energy in another country…Discover other cultures…more understanding”

“To apply, some countries require an in-person consultation (too far & expensive)”

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• More information about international work and travel opportunities available to youth: the group believed that they had not been adequately informed about the benefits of international work and travel before the conference. As such, they believe that all Canadian youth should become more aware of these benefits and the options available to them.

• A greater effort to inform more diverse schools and community centres: the group identified that youth who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour are likely harder to reach than those from majority-white populations. They thus call for IEC to make a greater effort to reach these youth through targeted engagement and promotion in the places that they gather.

Recommendations

To achieve the above mentioned outcomes, the youth suggested 10 concrete recommendations for IEC to put in to action:

• Develop and roll out a “did you know” social media campaign: in order to better inform youth of the benefits of international work and travel and the options available to them, youth call on IEC to develop a “did you know” social media campaign that outlines the benefits of IEC, the options available to them and how to apply.

• Produce videos of alumni: in order to demonstrate that going on a work and travel experience is possible and to reassure youth that it is safe, youth call on IEC to produce videos of their alumni speaking about their experiences with concrete tips on how to apply, find housing, and secure a job. It will be particularly important to ensure that alumni videos are representative of the diversity of Canada to ensure that all Canadian youth feel reflected in the campaign and can relate to the content.

• Parent-for-parent promotion: youth identified the fears and views of their parents as a significant barrier to them going abroad. Youth thus call on IEC to develop promotional content by parents whose children have gone abroad in the past to encourage other Canadian parents whose children are thinking about going abroad in the future.

• Create a support hotline for youth while abroad: there was overwhelming consensus that youth are concerned about feeling anxious, alone and unsupported while abroad. Youth thus call on IEC to create a support hotline that youth can call while abroad to help them when they are overwhelmed and direct them to the services that they may need.

• Create posters: all youth in the group agreed that posters were superior promotional products than brochures to reach them in the places that they gather. Youth thus call on IEC to create posters and work to have them posted in schools and community centres across the country.

“Harder to find job, housing, resources for minorities”

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• Create a FAQ page: the group recognized that they did not have all of the answers or the right questions to ask about IEC. More information is needed to respond to the concerns of youth and their parents from across the country. Youth thus call on IEC to crowd source questions from Canadians and create a FAQ page on its website that addresses the questions that come through this process.

• Practical information sessions: the group recognized that IEC has made an effort to reach out to youth at schools and to conduct information sessions. But, when the content of these information sessions were described to them, they were underwhelmed. They believe that while having information about what is available to them and why it may be of value is useful, they want significantly more information about how to go about planning, applying and traveling abroad. Youth thus call on IEC to ground its information sessions in practical advice with concrete examples

• Create a starter kit: Similarly, youth would like a written guide for how to plan, apply and travel abroad that is based in concrete advice. Youth thus call on IEC to develop starter kits for youth who are thinking about working and traveling abroad

• Create connections between local community centres and international community centres: youth identified their community centres and community-based organizations as strong resources in their lives. They believe that these resources could be leveraged to create support for youth while they are abroad and to create better linkages between their local communities and communities abroad. Youth thus call on IEC to develop linkages between local community centres/organizations and international community centres/organizations to better support youth while they are abroad, including the creation of work opportunities, and cooperative international projects.

• Negotiate new Youth Mobility Agreements (YMAs) with more diverse countries: youth in the group believe that the current makeup of IEC’s partner countries can be seen as a manifestation of structural racism and that could lead to Canadians of colour feeling excluded or uninterested in the Program. Youth thus call on IEC to negotiate new YMAs with countries in Africa, South America and Asia.