Twinning Programs: Ontario and Winnipeg, Canada

At MAC schools, we foster the pursuit of excellence and inspire students to love, learn and live Islam while at the same time achieving their highest academic and leadership potential – in a manner fully integrated into the Canadian social fabric. In this regard, we achieve our goals through enrichment programs in collaboration with home, school and community partners. The MAC Olive Grove High School Exchange and the YMCA Twinning Programs are two key enrichment programs that our students will participate in this academic year.

Through the Experience Canada Youth Exchange Leadership Program, our Grade 10 students will be spending time at our MAC sister school Olive Grove High School, in Mississauga. The trip to Mississauga, in the Greater Toronto Area, will take place in early May and we will also host here at Abraar Secondary a group of Grade 10 students from Olive Grove High School. The Experience Canada Youth Exchange Leadership Program offers life-changing experiences that enable our students to strengthen their Muslim identity, gain valuable personal skills and boost their self-confidence. The experience also helps students form new friendships with their brothers and sisters in Mississauga, visit another part of our province and learn about its history and cultures. All of this will enrich our students’ learning and personal growth and inspire them to become actively engaged citizens in their communities.

For its part, the YMCA Youth Exchange Canada allows students of 20 to 30 participants between the ages of 16 and 18 to initiate community service projects, live in another community, learn Canada’s other official languages, or explore Canada’s cultural diversity. Participants are twinned with same-age groups from another province or territory, and they take turns staying in each other’s communities for a period of at least five days. Through the YMCA’S Twinning Youth Exchange program, our Grade 11 students (as well as some 12 Grade students) will travel to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in early May and will spend time at the Peaceful Village School. This program promotes educational exchanges and encourages students to experience community renewal through powerful learning opportunities that help youth achieve their potential. In addition to our students going to Winnipeg, we will also have the honour of hosting a group of Peaceful Village School students here at Abraar Secondary.