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Manitoba Education

Six-Month Student Exchange Program

Manitoba-Québec Six-Month Student Exchange Program

Description | Objectives | How It Works | Terms and Conditions | Selection Criteria | Cost | Procedure | Contact

Brochure (Adobe Icon 520 KB)
Application Form 2012-2013 (Adobe Icon 49 KB)
Application Form 2012-2013 (MS Word Icon 297 KB)
Interview Questionnaire (MS Word Icon 433 KB)
Participant Guide (Adobe Icon 620 KB)
School Guide (Adobe Icon 1.65 MB)


Program Description

The Manitoba-Québec Six-Month Student Exchange Program is offered to students enrolled in the French Immersion Program who will be in Grade 10 or 11 next September. Students with strong skills in the Basic French course may also apply. Manitoba Students are paired with Québec students for a six-month period – three months in Manitoba and three months in Québec.

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Program Objectives

  • Have the Manitoba students improve their French language skills, discover a new culture and share their culture.
  • Have the Québec students improve their English language skills, discover a new culture and share their culture.
  • Encourage cross-cultural exchange.
  • Encourage bilingualism.
  • Expose students to another school system.

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How the Program Works

From September to December, Québec students live with their Manitoba host families and both students attend school in Manitoba. In turn, starting in February the Manitoba students live with their Québec host families and both students attend school in Québec, for the same length of time and under the same conditions.

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Terms and Conditions of Participation

  • School divisions, schools and parents must consent to participate in the program.
  • Schools must interview candidates and their families and select the participants.
  • A family must be able to adequately accommodate the Québec students for three months.
  • If successful with pairing a student, each family member residing in the household, over 18 years old, must undergo a Criminal Record Check and Child Abuse Registry Check before the beginning of the exchange.

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Participant Selection Criteria

The candidates must have:

  • an interest in the program and the determination to complete it
  • a solid academic record or a recommendation from the school and parents
  • an openness to other cultures
  • the ability to adapt
  • a mature attitude
  • a good knowledge of French or a great desire to learn
  • good English language skills
  • a willingness to live in the host community

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Cost

  • Participating families must pay part of the airfare as well as living expenses for their visiting student.
  • The government of Manitoba, Bureau de l’éducation française, covers the remaining round-trip travel costs from Winnipeg to the host city in Québec.
  • Tuition costs are covered by both provinces based on reciprocity.

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Application Procedure

  1. The student and his or her parents shall complete the 2012-2013 Application Form printing legibly in black ink. The student shall then submit the form to the person responsible for the exchange program at the school (school coordinator) before February 15.
  1. The school coordinator of the program shall advise the school division of the student's possible participation in the exchange program.
  1. Once the Application Form has been submitted, the student and his or her parents shall be interviewed at home by the school coordinator of the program. It will also be necessary to ensure that the family has the capacity to host the Québec student comfortably for three months.
  1. The school coordinator of the program will decide how the school and home interviews (of the student and the parents respectively) will be conducted and the questionnaire filled out.
  1. The file on the student and parents recommended by the school shall consist of two duly completed documents: the Application Form 2012-2013 in Adobe PDF (Adobe Icon 49 KB) or MS-Word (MS Word Icon 279 KB) and the Interview Questionnaire (MS Word Icon 436  KB).
  1. For every student recommended by the school, the school coordinator of the program shall submit to the program coordinator at the Bureau de l'éducation française four complete copies of the student's file, including the original. He or she shall keep a copy for his or her own use.
  1. The entire process (application, interview, recommendation, file summary, photos and forwarding of four copies to the coordinator at the Bureau de l'éducation française) must be completed by March 16, 2012.
  1. The Manitoba candidates will be paired with the Québec candidates in April. Each participant will be given the information on his or her counterpart in May.
  1. Only one family member a year is allowed to participate in the six-month exchange program.
  1. It is up to the student and his or her school to make the necessary arrangements to compensate for the schooling that may be missed while he or she is away.

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Contact Person

For more information please contact:

Danielle Parent
Education Officer
Bureau de l'éducation française Division
Telephone: 204-945-6024
Toll Free: 1-800-282-8069, ext. 6024
Email: palo-olsp@gov.mb.ca

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