Canada and Australia IEC exchange: work and travel abroad

Mikaela and Sean participated in a work abroad exchange through International Experience Canada (IEC) in summer 2018. Watch to learn more about how IEC helps youth develop personally and professionally through working abroad!

This video is also available in HD on YouTube where you can leave a comment, share it on your social network or embed it into your site.

Transcript: “Canada and Australia IEC exchange: work and travel abroad”

Video length: 5:13 minutes

Inspiring music plays throughout.

Sean: My name's Sean. I'm from Australia.

Text displays: “Sean”.

Sean is standing on a downtown Toronto street. He smiles.

Sean: I'm in Canada, working with Northern Youth Abroad (NYA).

Sean: So, I'm here on an exchange program.

Mikaela: My name is Mikaela.

Text displays: “Mikaela”.

Mikaela is standing at a lookout in Australia, looking proud.

Mikaela: I'm a Dene Inuvaliut woman from the North of Canada.

Mikaela: I'm here, in Australia, on an IEC program, working for AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) for the summer.

Mikaela laughs.

Sean is working with NYA participants.

Mikaela is working with AIME participants.

Text displays: “International Experience Canada” and “Work and Travel Abroad”.

Camera tilts up to show a trail marker signpost.

A medium shot of Rebecca Bisson outside, looking at the camera.

Text displays: “Rebecca Bisson, Northern Youth Abroad Executive Director”.

Rebecca Bisson: My name's Rebecca Bisson, and I'm the Executive Director with Northern Youth Abroad.

Sean is leading a group of youth in an exercise. The group is outside, sitting at picnic tables.

Rebecca Bisson: We work with youth who live in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, predominantly Indigenous youth.

Camera pans over one of the tables to show activity booklets that have “Northern Youth Abroad” printed on them.

Rebecca Bisson: About 98% of our participants are Indigenous: Inuit, First Nation and Métis.

Youth at the camp are interacting with each other, in groups and one-on-one.

Camera tilts down a whiteboard showing a list entitled “rules”. The list includes things like: “be respectful”; “be on time”; “prepared”; “participate”; “no negativity”; “raise hand to speak”; “no swearing”; “no phones in session”.

Rebecca Bisson: We offer experiential education programs for youth 15 to 23 living in the communities.

A person wearing an AIME t-shirt is leading a class of young adults.

Text displays: “Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience”.

Rebecca Bisson: About a year ago, we were introduced to AIME as a partner organization through IEC, and propose with the idea of doing an Indigenous alumni internship exchange, essentially.

A man is talking in front of an auditorium full of young adults.

Another man is talking in front of a large group of adults outdoors.

The same man is now greeting people in the hallway.

Camera pans across a mural depicting the history of AIME, from 2005 on.

A medium shot of Ben Abbatangelo sitting at a picnic table outside looking at camera.

Ben Abbatangelo: My name's Ben Abbatangelo. I'm the co-CEO of AIME.

Text Displays: “Ben Abbatangelo, AIME CO-CEO”.

A close-up shot of Ben Abbatangelo sitting at a picnic table outside looking at camera.

Ben Abbatangelo: We're excited about harvesting Indigenous knowledge and leadership from different parts of the world, and this is going to be a great program to do just that.

A group of young adults are gathered around a plastic human skeleton. An IV bag hangs from the stand the skeleton is hanging from.

Mikaela is standing with the group looking at the plastic skeleton.

Medium shot of Sean sitting with 2 other people. Sean smiles.

Rebecca Bisson: So, we were able to select Mikaela, who is currently in Sydney and to welcome Sean here with us for 4 months.

Mikaela is standing in front of the mural depicting the history of AIME. She looks at the camera and smiles.

Shot changes to a medium shot of Mikaela sitting in front of a colourful background, looking at the camera.

Shot changes to a close-up of Mikaela, speaking to camera.

Text Displays: “Mikaela, Working Holiday in Australia”.

Mikaela: My position with AIME is a program manager, and I basically do all the behind-the-scenes things for program days and tutor squads and just making sure all the odds and ends are done up.

We see an auditorium with a number of young adults in it.

Text Displays: “University of Sydney, Australia”.

Mikaela: A program day at AIME is essentially the kids coming onto the campus, and we have mentors from the university who volunteer their time to do sessions and activities with the kids, getting them out of their comfort zone and just being proud of their Indigenous identity.

A medium shot of some of the youths moving side to side and clapping.

A woman wearing an AIME t-shirt is smiling and talking to a group of youths.

A man is explaining and pointing off camera in front of a group of youths.

Mikaela is looking at the plastic human skeleton along with a group of youths.

Camera tilts up showing a vertical floor banner with “AIME” at the top.

Sean: I'm a mentor leader with AIME, and my role involves organizing the program days, running tutor squads within each high school.

Medium shot of Sean outside in a forest, looking at the camera.

Text Displays: “Sean, Working Holiday in Canada”.

Wide shot of Sean standing in front of a group of youths with a female NYA staff member. Sean is holding a laptop so the group can see the screen.

Text Displays: “Ottawa, Canada”.

Sean: My experience here with NYA has completely just blown me away.

Camera pans across the group of youths that are sitting on a picnic table, watching the presentation.

Sean: Like, in the job I'm working in here, it's kind of similar to what I do at home.

Medium shot of Sean and a female NYA staff member talking to the group of youths. Sean is holding a laptop so the group can see the screen.

Sean: So, I've picked up a few more tips for mentoring youth.

Medium shot of Sean outside in a forest, looking at the camera.

Sean: It is a lot of hard work, but you also need to be able to have fun with it and really enjoy the experience.

Scene dissolves to a shot of Sydney Harbour, with the Sydney Opera House in the background.

Text Displays: “Sydney, Australia”.

We see Mikaela standing and smiling on the edge of Sydney Harbour, looking at the Sydney Opera House.

Mikaela: Working and travelling in Australia has totally taught me how to be more independent.

A shot pans from the Sydney Harbour Bridge across Sydney Harbour.

Mikaela is learning how to start a fire by using a hand drill, guided by a male Australian aboriginal elder.

Mikaela: I had to do a lot of things on my own and just navigating and planning, you know, going on my trips and stuff like that.

Mikaela is walking away from camera along a pathway overlooking the ocean.

Text displays: “Ku Ring Gai National Park, Australia”.

Mikaela walks past the camera to the lookout.

Mikaela: I was all alone, and [it was] kind of the first time I ever did them, and it really taught me that I could be my own person.

Mikaela is looking at a brass plaque depicting the area in relief, with the water in the background.

Mikaela is looking over the bay from the lookout.

Sean: Being here for 3 months without anyone from back home has been a massive change for me.

Sean is on a ferry boat in Toronto harbour, looking at the CN Tower.

Text Displays: “Toronto, Canada”.

Camera tilts down to show the downtown Toronto skyline.

Sean: I haven't been away from home for any longer than about 3 weeks by myself.

Camera tilts up across the eternal flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to reveal the House of Commons and the Peace Tower.

Text Displays: “Ottawa, Canada”.

Sean: So then, definitely to come this far across the world, to be alone, by myself, it's been a life-changing experience I've really enjoyed.

Sean is looking at Canadian Aboriginal crafts in a market.

Sean is walking along a crowded sidewalk in Ottawa’s Byward Market.

We see a medium shot of Mikaela in front of a colourful background, talking to camera.

Mikaela: I didn't know much about the Indigenous people of Australia before arriving here.

A group of young Aboriginal Australians are performing a traditional dance.

Mikaela: A lot of struggles that we face as Canadians also happen to Australians, but I also got to learn a bit of their culture and way of life and how they hunt, and we are very similar than we are different.

Mikaela is sitting with a group of people learning how to do traditional Australian Aboriginal grass weaving. She is sitting beside an Australian Aboriginal Elder who is providing instruction.

Text Displays: “Gatineau, Canada”.

Camera pans over a display and diorama depicting Northern Canadian Aboriginal people.

Sean: Coming and working with NYA, just learning about Nunavut and Northwest Territories has been a crazy experience for me.

Sean is talking with a museum interpreter in front of a display that has the title “The Indian Act”.

Sean: I literally had no idea about the youth and the people from those communities.

Camera pans around a display area that shows animations of early Canadian Aboriginal people and glass cases containing artifacts.

Sean: A big thing that's struck me is how little I know about my own Indigenous culture back home.

Text Displays: “Toronto, Canada”.

We see a sequence of shots showing Sean shaping a canoe paddle with a hand plane under the supervision of a female Aboriginal Elder.

Sean: So, I thought I was very well educated on it, but I've learned a lot here.

Medium shot of Sean outside in a forest, looking at camera.

Sean: I want to go back and learn about my own culture now.

Screen dissolves to show an auditorium with young adults in it, singing and clapping.

Screen dissolves to show a slow motion shot of Mikaela working with the young adults.

Mikaela: Working for AIME will definitely open more doors for me back home; they already have.

A close-up slow motion shot of Mikaela in the auditorium, writing in a book.

We then see some shots of Mikaela interacting with the young adults in the auditorium.

Mikaela: I actually got a job with International Experience Canada as a youth ambassador to promote their program and tell my story – when I'm back home – to youth, and that's a really good fit, I feel, because that's all I want to do is tell my story and inspire other youth to go and do their own journey.

Mikaela is sitting with an AIME colleague, working on laptops and laughing.

We then see Sean sitting outside with an Aboriginal youth in front of an open book. They are both talking and smiling.

Sean: So, next for me is I'm going home, and I go straight back into work the week I get back.

Camera pans over a picnic table outside with a number of booklets on it. One of them has the title “Northern Youth Abroad” on the cover. The camera continues to reveal Sean doing an activity with a number of youths.

Sean: So, I'll be back at the high school I work at, working in student support and, I'll be back with AIME, so back mentoring 2 days a week as well.

A medium shot of Sean doing an activity with the youths. They are laughing and having fun.

Camera tilts up over an outdoor trail signpost.

Sean: The plan is to come back next year, to do the same thing, so I'll be in Ottawa again, working with Northern Youth Abroad.

Sean is sitting at a picnic table with a group of youths looking at a booklet and talking.

A medium shot of Sean sitting with youths at a picnic table, Sean is smiling.

Sean: It's been the most phenomenal experience I've ever had.

A close up shot of Mikaela sitting in front of a colourful background.

Mikaela: I found that leaving my community really allowed me to take a step back and appreciate it fully.

Mikaela is crouched down, feeding a young kangaroo from her hand. She smiles.

Mikaela: I strongly believe other people should take the opportunity through IEC.

Mikaela is walking along a large wall covered with street art. She runs her hand along the wall, and smiles.

Mikaela: You gain so much and learn so much about yourself.

We see Sean outside, with the Rideau Canal in the background, talking to camera.

Sean: Learning about the people here ... the people is what I love the most about Canada, so that's one of the main reasons why I will come back to Canada.

Sean is sitting on a blanket in a park with a small group of people having a picnic. They are smiling and laughing.

Sean catches a frisbee in the park.

Sean: So, I think it's important for youth to go and experience other countries and to get to know other people because it's very different to back home, no matter where you're from.

Text displays: Canada.ca/iec.

Screen fades to black.

Text displays: “International Experience Canada”.

Image displays: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter logos.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada corporate signature is shown, along with the copyright message: “Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2019” is shown.

The Canada wordmark is shown on black background.