What Youth Forums and Learning Resources Does Experiences Canada Offer?

Experiences Canada runs two programs beyond its youth exchanges: Youth Forums, which bring young Canadians together to discuss current issues in a safe, inclusive setting outside the classroom, and Learning Resources, which provide curriculum-based interactive lessons for youth and youth educators. Both are aimed at the same broad audience as the exchange program — young Canadians and the adults who work with them — but they serve different purposes: forums are live, discussion-driven gatherings, while learning resources are teaching materials you can use directly.

Youth Forums

According to Experiences Canada, its youth forums "bring together youth from across Canada to explore current issues facing Canadian society." The organization describes them as "a safe inclusive space for youth to learn outside of a classroom setting."

That description tells you what to expect in practice:

• National mix of participants — youth come from across Canada, not just one region, so discussion reflects a range of perspectives.
• Topic-driven — the focus is current issues facing Canadian society rather than a fixed curriculum.
• Discussion format — the emphasis is on exploring issues together, not on lectures or testing.
• Deliberately informal — the setting is explicitly framed as learning outside the classroom.

If you are a teacher, youth leader, or group organizer, this is the program to look at when your goal is exposure to national perspectives and peer discussion rather than travel-based exchange.

Learning Resources

Experiences Canada describes its learning resources as "curriculum-based interactive lessons that examine a variety of topics relative to today's youth." They are built for two audiences: youth and youth educators.

Two features matter most when deciding whether to use them:

For an educator, that combination means the resources can slot into a class or group program without you building the content from scratch. For a youth participant, it means self-directed material on issues that are meant to feel current.

How the Two Fit Together

The forums and learning resources sit alongside exchanges as the three main program areas listed on the Experiences Canada homepage:

• Exchanges — group exchanges for youth aged 12 to 17 and their chaperones, with all group travel costs from your community to your twin group covered.
• Youth Forums — national gatherings for discussion of current issues.
• Learning Resources — curriculum-based interactive lessons.

The homepage also offers a selector tool that routes visitors by role — Group Organiser, Parent, Teacher / Youth leader, or Youth — and by what they are looking for. If you are unsure which program matches your situation, that tool is the fastest way to get to the right starting point.

Choosing Between Them

• Choose Youth Forums if you want youth to engage with peers from across the country on current issues in a facilitated, inclusive environment.
• Choose Learning Resources if you need ready-made, curriculum-linked interactive lessons for a classroom or youth group.
• Choose Exchanges if the goal is travel and a reciprocal group exchange, with group travel costs covered for youth aged 12 to 17 and their chaperones.

Experiences Canada is a national registered charity, launched in 1936 and previously known as SEVEC, and describes itself as Canada's leading service provider for youth exchanges. Forums and learning resources are part of that same mandate to help young Canadians explore their country — one through conversation, the other through the classroom.