The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation and the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador jointly run the International Youth Internship Program. Cohort 5 combines virtual and in-person preparation with a four-month placement at an overseas partner organization.
Placements span Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Central America, and the South Pacific, with work across community development, education, research, communications, technology, human rights, and environmental fields. The program forms part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy and is intended to build experience for future employment or study.
Benefits & funding
- Program costs are funded, including airfare, transportation, visa fees, and pre-departure and post-internship training.
- Interns receive a stipend while abroad.
- The five-month commitment includes virtual and in-person preparation, a four-month overseas placement, and a three-day debrief in Canada.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be 18–30 years old when the internship starts.
- Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
- Applicants must not have previously completed an in-person IYIP placement.
- No education, work, or travel experience is required.
- The program gives selection priority to Indigenous, racialized, and 2SLGBTQIA+ applicants and to youth who have faced employment barriers related to COVID-19; this is a preference, not a separate eligibility gate.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Age requirement
18–30 yrs
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Application process
- 1Submit the online written application by August 30, 2026.
- 2Shortlisted applicants complete an introductory interview with a program manager.
- 3Finalists complete a structured placement interview with international partners and/or subject-matter experts, who make the final placement decision.
Program timeline
Applications open
August 10, 2026
Online information session
August 26, 2026
Application deadline
August 30, 2026
Selection process
Late August to early October 2026
Virtual pre-departure training
December 7, 2026–January 29, 2027
In-person pre-departure training
February 1–5, 2027
Overseas placements
February 7–May 28, 2027
Reintegration training
May 29–June 2, 2027
Program ends
June 3, 2027
Cohort 6 applications open
February 2027, tentative