CIDA's strategy to involve Canadian youth in international development : a case study of Saint Mary's University's experience with the CIDA International Youth Internship Programme : a practicum report

Abstract

This practicum report is based on the author's work experience as the Project Manager responsible for the implementation of the Canadian government funded International Youth Internship Programme (IYIP) at Saint Mary's University. It specifically looks at Saint Mary's University's experience with the CIDA IYIP.

The IYIP came out of CIDA's strategy on youth entitled Our World Too--Building Canadian Co-operation into the 21st Century . The IYIP is intended as a tool to meet the strategy's objectives which are to involve youth in international co-operation and provide them with valuable professional work experience. This report looks specifically at Saint Mary's University's experience to see whether CIDA has been successful with providing youth with opportunities to be involved in international cooperation.

The success of the programme is determined through the results of an open-ended questionnaire that was given to the Saint Mary's University sponsored CIDA interns who have completed their internships. In addition, conclusions are drawn based on the reflections of the author. Results show that the interns had very valuable and positive experiences. The majority were provided with an opportunity to put their University education into practice in a professional setting. In addition they gained valuable personal and professional skills. As well, most became interested in pursuing work in international development and felt that they made a contribution to sustainable development.