Jointly implemented by the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation and the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, the program offers youth the opportunity to gain valuable international work experience through 4-month internship placements with partner organizations in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and Central America.

The International Youth Internship Program was launched in 1997 and has always focused on offering young people aged 18-30 from Canada the opportunity to gain skills and professional experience while travelling, living, and working abroad. Since its inception, IYIP has and sent over 7,000 youth to work with partner organizations and institutions abroad in the field of international development. This program works with Canadian and international partners across 15 countries.

IYIP is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy and aims to prepare youth in Canada for future employment or further studies. The focus of the current 2023-2028 IYIP program is to provide meaningful and transformative opportunities to youth facing barriers to employment, such as youth with disabilities, Indigenous youth, racialized youth, and 2SLGBTQI+ youth.

Applications for Cohort 4 are currently closed.

Applications for Cohort 5 will open in Fall 2026, and Cohort 5 placements will take place from January - April 2027.

To be eligible for this program, you must:

• Be 18-30 years old, at the start date and end of the internship
• Be Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Not have previously completed an in-person IYIP Placement

This program gives priority to Indigenous, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+ interns and youth who have experienced barriers to employment due to COVID-19. This means the program will first select interns who hold those identities from the pool of applicants.

No education, work or travel experiences are required to be eligible and successful in this program. We welcome applicants with lived experience and expertise and invite applicants to reach out to us with questions if this program is a good fit for you.

This program is designed for youth who:

• Have faced barriers in securing meaningful employment
• Are seeking opportunities to acquire new skills and gain professional experience abroad
• Are interested in contributing their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways  abroad
• Are curious, open-minded, and flexible

IYIP is a 5-month commitment that involves:

• 1 month of pre-departure training (3 weeks virtually, 1 week in person),
• 4 month international internship placement with a local partner organization,
• 3 days of post-internship debrief in Canada.

The program costs are funded (including airfare, transportation costs, visa fees, pre-departure and post-internship training), and interns will receive a stipend while abroad.

Step 1: Written Application

Your written application is completed through the application form online. The information and questions are simple and meant to help us understand why you’re interested in the program and the knowledge, skills, and interests that you bring. These applications are reviewed with three criteria: that you have learned about and looked into the program, that you indicate a good fit for one of the partner organizations or placement opportunities, and that you demonstrate one of the qualities most important to the program (curiosity, flexibility, adaptability, and open-mindedness). Applications not meeting these criteria will not be invited to step two.

Step 2: Introductory Interview

The Introductory Interview is completed with one of the program managers as a way to learn more about your skills, experiences, and interests. These are conversational interviews that have some planned questions. In this step of the process, we select candidates to move forward who demonstrate the qualities important to the program: curiosity, flexibility, adaptability, and open-mindedness.

Step 3: Placement Interview

The final step in the application process is an interview with international partners and/or subject matter experts. These are more formal, structured interviews led by our international partners and require preparation on the part of the applicant. Not everyone who completes a Placement Interview will be offered an internship position and in this final stage, the international partners ultimately determine who receives an offer.

We anticipate applications for Cohort 4 (July- November 2026) will open in February 2026.

Cohort 4 Important Dates

• February 1st - 21st: Application Window
• February 21st - March 20th: Introductory Interviews
• March 20th – April 3rd: Placement Interviews
• April - Mid-June: Offers, Paperwork, Visas
• June 15th - July 24th: Virtual Pre-Departure Training
• July 27th - 31st: In-Person PDT in Nova Scotia
• August 1st – 2nd: Travel to Placement
• August 3rd - November 20th In-Person Internship
• November 21st – 22nd: Travel to Canada
• November 23rd – 26th: Reintegration Training in Ontario
• November 26th: End of Cohort 4 Program

Cohort 5 Internships will take place from January-April 2027.

Questions? Concerns? Not sure if this is right for you? We want to chat! Please get in touch.

Mercy Oluwafemi
Mercy.Oluwafemi@mi.mun.ca

Indigo Christ
Indigo@acic-caci.org