The week-long leadership forum will be held in Winnipeg from June 27^th to July 4, 2020 and will be developed in full partnership with Manitoba’s Indigenous organizations with half of the programming led by Indigenous organizations and community leaders. Youth will be selected from across Canada representing the geographic, linguistic, socio-economic and cultural diversity of the country, with half of the participants selected being Indigenous.

Youth will be housed and based in Winnipeg, but will also spend time immersed in a First Nations community learning first-hand about their teachings, traditions, culture, and contemporary issues and challenges. Throughout the week, youth will work in teams to discuss each other’s ideas and strategies and choose a few of them to develop as workshops or creative presentations.

By the end of the week, our goal is to ensure each participant feels they have the confidence, tools and strategies in hand to return to their own communities and organize similar workshops and presentations of their own in their schools and in the broader community throughout the school year 2020-21.

All Experiences Canada Youth Leadership Forums are designed to nurture greater connections to a part of the country they might otherwise never visit, a stronger commitment to community engagement, and a greater sense of preparedness for life and work in the future.  We do this by fostering strong, long-term peer networks, offering immersive learning and volunteer opportunities with not-for-profit agencies, and programming to help to build confidence, communication and leadership skills.

The Forum on Reconciliation will build on these fundamental objectives, by providing a truly balanced project experience where half of every program element begins from an Indigenous perspective. For all participants, they will have a richer opportunity to learn from one another, to explore differences and seek common ground, and to think creatively about how to foster greater dialogue and openness among young Canadians in their home communities.

The cost:

Selected participants and/or their sponsoring school or youth organization will be required to pay a $300 registration fee.  The program will cover all travel costs to and from their home community anywhere within Canada, plus all meals, accommodation, and programming expenses throughout the week.  Participants will only need money for personal incidentals and souvenirs

The venue:

Youth will be housed and based in Winnipeg, but will also spend time immersed in a First Nations community learning first-hand about their teachings, traditions, culture, and contemporary issues and challenges. Youth will be supervised by a trained team of 10 youth leaders as well as Experiences Canada staff.  Daily events and activities will be organized throughout the Winnipeg area.

How to apply

Registration now