EU-Canada Study Tour – “Thinking Canada”

Endorsements

In addition to receiving strong financial backing from the European Commission, the "Thinking Canada" study tour is joined by its Canadian counterpart, the European Union Study Tour and Internship Programme, in benefitting from the firm commitment of key players in the area of European-Canadian relations.

 

Jerzy Buzek
President
European Parliament

This initiative involving students from the European Union and Canada which is aimed at creating a better mutual understanding among the youth and of the importance of the growing relations between them deeply reflects concerns of the European Parliament. Our Institution is well known for its commitment to education and youth and to the promotion of active citizenship and international exchange. It is therefore with great pleasure that I confer the patronage of the European Parliament to the Study tour in September 2010 and to the initiative as a whole until the end of my mandate in December 2011.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you and the participants every success.

Jerzy Buzek

 

 

Peter Milliken
Speaker
House of Commons
Parliament of Canada

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  I was very pleased to receive your letter concerning the success of the Study Tours and Internship Programs.
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• Exposing young people to other cultures, institutions and ways of life helps them to become more rounded individuals and to contribute more fully to the societies where they choose to live. In this respect, Study Tours are valuable tools for training young people and opening them up to new experiences. As Canada and the European Union continue to develop closer ties, Study Tours provide an outstanding opportunity for young people to immerse themselves in the world of international relations and receive the best instruction possible. I would like to commend you on your efforts to develop these programs and encourage as many students as possible to participate in the next Study Tour.

 

Peter Milliken, M.P.

 

 

 

Androulla Vassiliou
European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

As European Commissioner responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, I strongly welcome the Study Tours and Internship Programmes between the European Union and Canada. For the first time, European students will participate in the scheme. This will enable them to increase their understanding and knowledge of Canadian institutions and to appreciate the significance of the EU-Canada relationship.

This Study Tour complements the existing Study Tour and Internship Programme for Canadian students to Europe. It is another fine example of the EU's continuing efforts to help its citizens realise their potential through education and training by promoting mobility and exchange with the wider world. It also helps equip people to live in a more diverse and globalized Europe, based on mutual respect for our rich blend of cultures and languages.

With these two Study Tours we now have a balanced exchange of academic experiences for both European and Canadian students. They are strong examples of the successful implementation of the bilateral cooperation agreement in higher education, training and youth between the EU and Canada. This agreement, in place since 1995, aims to promote understanding between the peoples of the European Union and Canada and to improve the quality of their human resource development.

I encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity and to participate in this truly unique experience.

 

 

Androulla Vassiliou

 

 

Ross Hornby
Ambassador
Mission of Canada to the European Union

Our new era of fast paced communications, increased mobility and interlinked economies poses a number of challenges to countries that requires continuous and swift capacity to learn, adapt and evolve. No one country can address these global challenges by acting unilaterally. We all need one another.

Europeans and Canadians share common values that underpin the fundamental nature of our societies. Both in the way in which we address the challenges facing our societies from within, and in our dealings with the rest of the world, European and Canadian approaches have much in common.

The scope of Canada-EU co-operation has moved far beyond the strictly trade and economic sphere into fields that were not foreseen when the EC-Canada Framework Agreement was signed in 1976. We work together whether in response to humanitarian disasters or facing threats to our security at home and abroad.

Europeans and Canadians, in particular younger generations, must strive to broaden their knowledge of today's globalized world and develop the ability to speak one or more foreign languages in order to benefit from the wealth of information, ideas, and people that compose it.

Canada is a new world filled with rich insights and opportunities for Europe. As Canada's Ambassador to the European Union, I am pleased to support this European Union- Canada Study Tour and Internship Programme which provides European University Students with the opportunity of a first hand experience of Canadian affairs.

 

 

Ross Hornby

 

 

Matthias Brinkmann
Ambassador
Delegation of the European Union to Canada

We are pleased to learn of this initiative which will bring select European students to Canada, in the spirit of strengthening people to people links. This programme is to be seen in the general drive to enhance EU-Canada relations.

For many years, the European Commission has supported the efforts of the Network for European Studies-Canada in organizing extensive Study Tours for Canadian students to European institutions as well as a substantial internship programme. This year, the European Commission is promoting, for the first time, the organization of an extensive Study Tour for European students to Canada, to enhance their knowledge of Canada, government and culture as well as the development of EU-Canada relations.

We recognize the European Network for Canadian Studies together with the Network for European Studies-Canada as co-organizers of this project and the European Commission, as supporter, looks forward to the results of the benefits to be derived by this reciprocal exchange.

 

 

Matthias Brinkmann

 

 

Christy Clark
Premier
Province of British Columbia

A Message from the Premier

As Premier of the Province of British Columbia, I am very pleased to welcome all the students of the 2011 European Union Study Tour and Internship Program.

It is great to hear that you have come to our country to learn more about us over a three week period. The in-person sessions with representatives of all sectors, including government, will be informative and a great opportunity for comparative analysis, debate and discussions in your Program.

British Columbia, Canada's pacific province, is surrounded by the beauty of nature, fresh water and fresh air, forests, parks, lakes and rivers, inhabited by a proud multicultural population of nearly 4.5 million people. Through the bounty of all we have to offer, we are positioning ourselves as a destination for trade, tourism and investment. No other province is as well positioned, in terms of geography, culture, infrastructure, and tourism and business assets, to serve as Canada's gateway to the growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region. We believe that by increasing our exports of goods and services to foreign markets, increasing tourism in British Columbia and fostering innovation, we will be successful at creating sustainable economic activity and jobs throughout the province.

I have no doubt that you will be inspired and impressed with what you hear and see during your time in British Columbia. I hope you will feel encouraged to come back

with your friends and families to further enjoy all that we have to offer.

 

Sincerely

Christy Clark

Canadian partners

Network for European Studies (Canada)

All five endorsement letters place the EU-Canada tour in the context of its relationship to the annual European Union Study Tour, which has been bringing Canadian students to Europe to study the European Union and its institutions for eight years now. The organizer of the tour, the Network for European Studies (Canada), has acquired great experience in developing a programme of this type, focused as it is on institutions and appealing to self-directed and independent students. The new EU-Canada tour was conceived as a counterpart to the European Union Study Tour, and its organizers have worked closely with their Canadian partners, drawing on their expertise as well as depending on their administrative backup in the organization of the initiative.

Thanks to this cooperation, participants in the EU-Canada Study Tour will have several opportunities in Canada to meet with students who took part in the 2011 Canadian study tour to Europe as well as with academics involved in the programme.

Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation

 

This year the EU-Canada Study Tour and Internship Programme welcomes a new partner, the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation, which has agreed to provide the major share of funding for the internship of the Hungarian participant in the programme. This generous offer was warmly welcomed by the study tour organizers, as both a confirmation of the quality of the programme itself as well as a first step in widening participation in the study tour from the Canadian side in the coming years.