Encounters With Canada is a youth program operated by the Canadian Unity Council

Canadian Unity Council

The Canadian Unity Council was a privately owned non-profit organization whose mission was the promotion of Canadian Unity and the current federal institutions.The CUC started as the "Canada Committee" in 1964, in the middle of Quebec's Quiet Revolution...

 in cooperation with numerous Canadian government departments

Government of Canada

The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...

. EWC was founded in 1982.

The Program

Taking place throughout most of each year, participants from secondary school

Secondary school

Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

s throughout Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 travel to Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 (Canada's capital city) and live in the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre.

Students are given a choice of the following sub-themed weeks:

• Science and Technology
• Law
• Canada Remembers
• Journalism and Communications
• Social Sciences
• Business and Entrepreneurship
• Arts and Culture
• Sports and Fitness
• International Affairs
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Medicine and Health
• Politics in Canada

Despite these variations, the main theme of the program is unifying Canadians and cultures within Canada and discussing Canada's identity.

In addition to activities related to their week's theme, participants tour and visit Canadian political institutions

Politics of Canada

The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state...

 such as the Parliament of Canada

Parliament of Canada

The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...

 (including the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 the Senate of Canada) and the Supreme Court of Canada

Supreme Court of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...

. Some weeks include visits to cultural institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada

National Gallery of Canada

The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...

 and the Museum of Civilization

Canadian Museum of Civilization

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....

.