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EnglishWho Is Eligible for an Experiences Canada Youth Exchange?
Updated
Experiences Canada youth exchanges are for young Canadians aged 12 to 17, travelling as a group with chaperones. The exchange is arranged between two "twin" groups in different communities, and Experiences Canada covers all group travel costs from your community to your twin group. If you are a group organiser, parent, teacher or youth leader, you can start the process on the organisation's behalf; youth can also use the site's selector tool to find the path that matches their role.
Eligibility at a glance
| Requirement | Detail from Experiences Canada |
|---|---|
| Participant age | 12 to 17 |
| Who travels | Youth participants plus chaperones, as a group |
| Exchange structure | Reciprocal exchange between twin groups in different communities |
| Travel costs | All group travel costs from your community to your twin group are covered |
| Who can start an application | Group organisers, parents, teachers and youth leaders |
| Organisation type | Experiences Canada is a national registered charity, launched in 1936 and previously known as SEVEC |
What "reciprocal exchange" means in practice
The exchange is not a one-way trip. Your group is paired with a twin group in another community, and the two groups host each other. That structure is why the age band and chaperone requirement matter: groups travel together, and the programme arranges travel and programming for thousands of young Canadians each year.
A concrete example from the site: cross-country ski clubs Nakkertok Nordic (Ottawa, ON) and Bulkley Valley Nordic (Smithers, BC) ran a winter exchange with funding and support from the Experiences Canada Youth Exchange Program. That shows the model works for community groups and clubs, not only schools.
Who counts as eligible to apply
Experiences Canada's homepage selector tool asks two things:
- I am a: Group Organiser, Parent, Teacher / Youth leader, or Youth
- Looking for: your goal
The tool then routes you to the relevant path. In practice:
- Teachers and youth leaders typically apply on behalf of a class, club or youth group.
- Group organisers apply for a community organisation or club.
- Parents use the tool to understand options for their child.
- Youth can explore the same routes directly.
If your group includes participants outside the 12–17 range, the site does not state that they can join as participants — chaperones are the accompanying adult role described.
Beyond exchanges: other programmes with their own audiences
Eligibility for an exchange does not automatically mean eligibility for everything else Experiences Canada runs:
- Youth Forums — bring together youth from across Canada to explore current issues in Canadian society, in a safe inclusive space for learning outside the classroom.
- Learning Resources — curriculum-based interactive lessons for youth and youth educators, covering topics relevant to today's youth. These are for educators and youth rather than a travel programme.
How to confirm your group qualifies
- Go to experiencescanada.ca.
- Use the homepage selector tool: choose your role under "I am a" and your goal under "Looking for".
- Follow the path it gives you — for exchanges, that leads to the exchange application route, where you can also see how to fund an exchange.
- If your situation does not match the options, use the site's contact route before assuming your group is ineligible.
The key condition to check first is simple: are your participants aged 12 to 17, and can your group travel together with chaperones to host and be hosted by a twin group in another community? If yes, you match the core eligibility described by Experiences Canada.