Scholarships and Democracy Study Tours under the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), Canada

Executed by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD)

Description of the Initiative:

The ELAP scholarships are based on short-term student exchanges that promote leadership among students in key topics and strengthen linkages between Canadian and Latin American as well as Caribbean post-secondary institutions. This approach not only reduces the “brain-drain” seen with longer-term scholarships, it also increases the number of recipients under the program.

The program is complemented by a study tour for select graduate students to enrich their academic experience. The ELAP Democracy Study Tour is a weeklong event which exposes students to Canadian models of democratic governance, accountability in the public service, elections, independent media, corporate social responsibility, indigenous inclusion, Canada’s legal system, rule of law, sound fiscal/monetary policies, human rights, etc. This is achieved through (1) meetings with Canadian officials, various matter experts, high level bureaucrats, scholars, and diplomatic representatives from their home country in Canada; (2) visits to the Canadian parliament, Government of Canada offices, as well as museums and Canadian heritage sites; (3) open discussions with elected officials, government representatives, panellists, experts, and scholars; and (4) learning activities throughout the event that culminate into a day of group presentations and discussions on the various themes covered during the week. Students are asked to analyse the differences between the Canadian model and their country’s specific to one subject.

“My experience as an exchange student in Canada was spectacular. I appreciate the opportunity that the Embassy and the Canadian government gave me through the GSEP scholarship. I undoubtedly learned a lot, not just academically, but also personally. My stay at Ryerson University allowed me to incorporate a more global perspective, in a practical sense, and to experience the cultural diversity of Toronto. It certainly has been an experience that has left an indelible mark on me. Very soon, I hope to be able to translate my experience into specific activities that contribute to the community and the University of the Pacific, the institution to which I belong.” 

Magdalena Villaseca

Activities

Scholarship recipients who are involved in student associations and groups will participate in such activities while in Canada but can also attempt to recreate this type of organisation in their home institution upon their return.

Also as stated in the sections above, the Study Tour is composed of:

·       meetings with Canadian elected officials and their country’s diplomatic representatives in Canada;

·       visits to the Canadian parliament, the Supreme Court other Government of Canada entities, as well as museums and Canadian heritage sites;

·       presentations by Canadian Government of Canada representatives, First Nations representatives, diplomats, subject matter experts, and scholars; and

·       study sessions and final presentations by the participants themselves.

“The Leadership Exchange Scholarship Canada-Chile (GSEP-CUSEP) has allowed me to work on my PhD thesis at the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre (BCCRC) under the supervision of Dr. Wan Lam. My research has focused on the identification of genomic alterations in lung tumors associated arsenic in northern Chile. This has been done with a platform based on DNA microarrays developed by the group of Dr. Lam. " 

Víctor Martínez

Results

The restructuration of a majority of DFATD’s International Scholarships Program (ISP) since 2007 as short-term exchange programs has reduced the “brain-drain” factor seen with longer-term scholarships as well as increased the number of recipients under the program. Awards have also been focused to serve students from priority countries, namely from the Americas. Therefore, an increasing number of students from the Hemisphere have been able to take advantage of the high quality of Canadian post-secondary institutions, been exposed to a multicultural, peaceful, and safe environment, and have returned home to apply as well as share what they have experienced. The actual impact and success of this practice can only be truly gauged in the medium to long term.

Participation from ministers, ambassadors, senior bureaucrats, high level representatives and well-renown subject matter experts, as well as VIP visits to the Canadian Parliament, Supreme Court, and DFATD buildings, amongst others, has led students to really become engaged and inspired. Students are often amazed at the access they are given to influential figures and recognize that these people have judged the event important enough to take the time from their busy schedule to meet and engage with students. This often changes the students’ perspective about society, their place in it, and how impactful they can be at the national and international stage.

“As an instructor professor of kinesiology at the Catholic University of Maule, I had the opportunity to intern a few weeks in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta in 2002. That experience had a profound impact on my professional future and later, I decided to come to study a postgraduate at that University and arrived with my family. In 2007 I obtained my Master of Science in Rehabilitation majoring in Physical Therapy. To further deepen my studies, I'm starting my second year of PhD."

Jorge Fuentes Contreras

Challenges

The main challenges for ISP are to promote small Canadian institutions as hosts for scholars, encourage participation at the vocational training level as well as increase the participation of certain countries in the programs.

The main challenge with the ELAP Democracy Study Tour arises from Canada’s own linguistic duality and from the languages spoken by international students participating in ELAP. The logistics of organising simultaneous translation for activities during the Study Tour have proven too onerous so the practice has been to hold separate study tours in each official language at different times.

Lessons Learned

To speak first on the challenges raised under section 17, it has been decided that each edition of the Study Tour will be conducted in only one language at a time and will alternate between French and English.

Another lesson learned was that graduate students are generally more focused, have better analytical skills, and overall gain more from the study tour experience, hence the decision to limit selection of study tour participants to students at that level.

You can find more testimonials by visiting: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/chile-chili/study-etudie/testimonies_temoignages.aspx?lang=spa

Contact Person

Damian Kotzev, International Scholarships Program Manager, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), damian.kotzev@international.gc.ca