What is Experiences Canada?

Updated

Experiences Canada is a national registered charity that helps young Canadians explore their country through reciprocal exchanges, forums, conferences, and learning resources. It was launched in 1936 and was previously known as SEVEC. The organization describes itself as Canada's leading service provider for youth exchanges and says it arranges travel and programming for thousands of young Canadians each year.

If you are a young person, parent, teacher, youth leader, or group organizer looking for a structured way to connect youth across Canada, this is the kind of organization you would look at. If you need individual travel funding or a general tourism service, Experiences Canada is not that — its programming is built around groups and exchanges.

What Experiences Canada does

The organization's work falls into three main areas shown on its site:

  • Exchanges — Group exchanges for youth aged 12 to 17 and their chaperones. Experiences Canada states that it covers all group travel costs from your community to your twin group.
  • Youth Forums — Events that bring together youth from across Canada to explore current issues facing Canadian society, described as a safe, inclusive space for learning outside a classroom setting.
  • Learning Resources — Curriculum-based interactive lessons for youth and youth educators, covering topics relevant to today's youth.

It also runs conferences and other opportunities for young Canadians to connect with one another.

Who it serves

Experiences Canada's home page includes a selector tool that asks two questions: who you are and what you are looking for. The audience options are:

  • Group Organiser
  • Parent
  • Teacher / Youth leader
  • Youth

This tells you the programming is designed for organized groups rather than solo participants, with adults supporting the process alongside the youth taking part.

The exchange model

The core idea is a reciprocal exchange: your group is paired with a "twin group" elsewhere in Canada, and the two groups host each other. According to the site, Experiences Canada covers all group travel costs from your community to your twin group.

The stated goal is for participants to better explore the country's history, culture, and geography. An example on the site describes a ski exchange between Nakkertok Nordic (Ottawa, ON) and Bulkley Valley Nordic (Smithers, BC), supported through the Experiences Canada Youth Exchange Program.

History and standing

  • Founded in 1936, making it the subject of a 90th-anniversary celebration noted on the site.
  • Formerly known as SEVEC.
  • A national registered charity.
  • Supported by funders and partners, which the organization credits with helping it empower youth and community leaders and create lasting impact on communities.

How to get started

The site offers two direct actions on its exchanges section: Apply for an Exchange and Fund an Exchange. If you are a group organizer, teacher, or youth leader, that is the natural entry point. Parents and youth can use the selector tool on the home page to find the path that matches their situation.

For questions about eligibility, timing, or what an exchange involves for a specific group, the site's "More info" pages under each program area and the "About Us" section are the places to check, since program details can change between exchange cycles.