Historica-Dominion Institute’s Encounters with Canada (EWC) is the largest youth forum in Canada. It is a one-week citizenship and leadership program held at the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.

With a budget of approximately $6 million and a staff of 50, the program recruits, on average, 120 participants, aged 14 to 17 years, as well as six teacher-monitors, per week. With a broad representation of young people from every province and territory, it creates, in essence, a mini-Canada forum of young Canadians, who meet to share a week of non-stop activities that promote youth leadership, citizenship and knowledge and pride in our Canadian institutions, as well as assisting our young people in making more informed career choices.

The program is partially funded through Exchanges Canada, a branch of Heritage Canada. Traditionally, Exchanges Canada has provided funding for transportation costs and some programming.

EWC has been offering exceptional Canadian youth programming for 27 years, now. And over 81,000 young people have lived the once-in-a-lifetime Encounters with Canada experience, to date.