You can’t learn everything from books; the world and its cultures have much to offer. This is good, since the end of the pandemic is also synonymous with the resumption of student exchanges. An opportunity that the young people of the province are seizing on the fly.
In 2021-2022, only 1,086 participants took advantage of the financial support program for student mobility run by Les Offices jeunesse internationals du Québec (LOJIQ).
With the gradual resumption of normal activities, the 2022-2023 cohort increased this number to 2,802, thus approaching the pre-pandemic figures of approximately 3,150 registrations per year.
An increase in demand is also observed for the current year, although official statistics will not be available until after the close of the financial year, on March 31, 2024.
“We are seeing an upsurge, a reappropriation of mobility stays abroad,” rejoices Catherine Dufresne, student mobility coordinator at LOJIQ, in an interview. “It’s a fairly significant increase. We take it all with joy. »
For the last full year, i.e. 2022-2023, 1558 of the 2802 beneficiaries of a mobility grant were university students. The others had obtained it for related projects such as an international internship, for example.
Among outgoing students – those who leave Quebec to spend one or two sessions in another country – the overwhelming majority (83%) were enrolled in an undergraduate program such as the baccalaureate. Along the same lines, 85% of LOJIQ scholarship recipients were aged 20 to 24 during this period.
This is the time in a lifetime to do it. It’s here or never, the experience of a year abroad.
Catherine Dufresne, student mobility coordinator at LOJIQ
In terms of destination, “the Francophonie is still at the forefront of international exchanges for Quebec”. France (29%) easily takes first place, followed by Belgium (10%) and Spain (9%). Switzerland and the United Kingdom complete the top 5made up of a majority of countries where French is spoken.
As for the study programs, we will mainly talk about administration and management (24%), then human and social sciences (18%), pure and applied sciences (11%), then finally law and public security (9%).
The challenge is worth it
Coordinating the departure of thousands of young people abroad comes with its share of challenges, such as ensuring the safety of participants and dealing with the global inflationary environment.
“We follow international news closely,” says Catherine Dufresne. Israel, we have no one, and fortunately. I was getting ready to deploy an internship in India a few weeks ago, but now we can’t. »
“And inflation is reflected in their plane ticket, their accommodation and the food they buy. »
However, these few obstacles are well worth it. Many people say it, and the stereotype tends to be true: something changes within you during such an experience.
When they return, we ask them what stood out from their stay and they inevitably tell us: it was educational from a personal point of view. When they come back, they talk to us about how it changed them.
Nadège Célestin, communications manager at LOJIQ
“They measured themselves against other cultures, did some introspection. And that’s useful, because the employer wants to know if you are equipped, but also if you have what it takes internally. »
“It’s very motivating to go abroad. Young people are really more engaged, notes Catherine Dufresne. It is a vector of commitment for both the university and the student. »
“We have experienced years full of challenges, but I would like to believe that we were able to overcome the moments of uncertainty and support the interest of our customers. So I think we did a good job. »