High School Experiential Learning Programs in Canada

“Thank you Lisa for everything. I am currently at my layover in Toronto and I am leaving for Germany in an hour. Thank you for the amazing time in Canada and all the organization. I really enjoyed my trip here and i am so sad to leave. But at least i have these amazing memories and a lot of new connections to people from all over the world. That all would not have been possible without you and i am so grateful for you and that you pour your whole heart into the kids experiences in Canada. Thank you so much!!” Aylin - Germany

My son attended the 3-week program at McGill in Montreal and absolutely loved it. He has been to many camps over the years, but he said this was by far the best experience he’s ever had. He connected with a wonderful group of kids, many of whom he’s still in touch with today. The program itself was very well organized, and the counselors did an excellent job keeping everyone engaged, entertained, and connected. Overall, it was an outstanding program, and I would highly recommend it.

My son loved the Montreal McGill program! He didn’t want to come home. He hopes they do another version at University of Toronto next year. He loved an all the staff members and students. The activities around Montreal were the highlights of his trip. Thank you, West Coast Connections and McGill!

The program brought together students from different cultures and ages. While there were a lot of structured activities, there were opportunities to have down time. There was a lot of thought into the experiences based on the things happening in the city. It was a great way for the kids to experiece the city offerings. The programs were fun and low stress.

During this trip to Montreal, I met some of the nicest, uplifting, and youth-hearted people. When I first arrived to the airport to be picked up, I was picked up by my staff leader who greeted me with kindness and enthusiasm. She asked the little questions that makes you feel wanted and special. You could tell she really cared about anything you had to say. I then met other participants in the program, and was also greeted with smiles and hellos. This trip was special to me because I was able to explore the city with some of my friends in my own way. I felt like I could shape the program to what suited me, and participate in the optional activities if I felt excited about the landmark, or just hang out in my dorm. My teachers were lovely, and I had so much fun with the other participants in my classes. One of the moments that I keep revisiting in my head the last night of the program. All of the participants and staff were in the lounge room of the residence, and we had dessert made by the staff. All of us sat in a circle, and just embraced the last night with the 14 day participants. There were awards given out, and there were mini yearbooks created. All of the students got to sign each other's yearbooks and write little messages inside. This was a special moment to me because I felt like I could leave with real evidence of just how much this trip meant to me. I still speak with some of the others from the trip, and I truly appreciated everyone who participated.

On my trip in Quebec City I had done a lot of new things and meet a lot of new people. With this program I was able to experience Quebec and it’s wonderful highlights. I also learnt a few news things in the French language, Quebec heritage and photography in general. All in all my trip was a great learning experience and I would not regret doing it again.

Overall I think it was a very good experience for my daughter. Abbey Road was well organized and provided a very safe, stimulating setting. Quebec is beautiful, and the program leader last year was outstanding. I would say she was the highlight of my daughter’s experience. The leader had taught French at both the college and high school levels and was clearly very committed to experiential learning. The group was very active, as it seemed that most days they traveled throughout the city exploring and practicing. My daughter also found it to be very safe. The kids don’t have a ton of free time. My daughter would have liked more free time but they keep them very busy, which I personally think is probably a good thing. All the kids last year got singles (no roommate) which she enjoyed. It seemed quite lively with many students on campus studying. She attended for two weeks and said her French improved quite a lot. She was not terribly confident in her French before going (and was actually quite reluctant to go for that reason). The immersion approach really seemed ideal for accelerated learning. Now that we are several months past the program, I think my daughter is starting to realize how much she grew and learned from the experience. It was not easy for her in the sense that she would rather have stayed home. She was reluctant to go. Again, I think the program director made her feel so comfortable and much more confident in her French.

My daughter really enjoyed her experience in Quebec City. It was her first time spending weeks away and it was really the perfect program for her to gain some independence. She is now a senior and it was a good experience for her all around. We live in the SF Bay Area and another girl from our area was going so they traveled together. Julie, the program leader in Quebec, was great with the kids. Last summer the kids had their own rooms and my daughter really enjoyed that. My daughter had taken three years of French before going on the trip and some of the kids had never taken any French. The program really seemed to stress getting out into the Quebec City community to practice French and my daughter really liked that as well. The people at Abbey Road in the LA office were very nice to deal with as well. I was very happy she traveled with Abbey Road last summer.