Memorial student Andrew Collins will join 19 other young Canadians participating in the 57th World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Summer Seminar, to be held in Malawi this June and July.

“For over five decades the WUSC Summer Seminar has been instrumental in transforming the lives of young Canadians and in transforming the world,” said Paul Davidson, executive director of WUSC. The students have been chosen from universities across Canada on the basis of academic excellence, extra-curricular leadership and a demonstrated commitment to international understanding.

During their six-week stay in Malawi, students will be hosted by Malawian families. In collaboration with Malawian students, they will carry out research examining the impact of HIV/AIDS and its devastating consequences in Malawi's efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. In addition to the research project, they will visit development projects and attend academic conferences. For many of the students, this will be their first experience in a developing country.

They join a distinguished group of prominent Canadians who have participated in previous Summer Seminars, including Pierre Trudeau, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, OECD Secretary General Donald Johnston, Governor of the Bank of Canada David Dodge, and many others. “The students participating this summer represent a new generation of Canadians committed to seizing the responsibilities of global citizenship, and will contribute to restoring Canada's place in the world,” Davidson added.

Since 1948, more than 2,000 students and academic advisors have participated in WUSC Seminars in Latin America, Africa, Asia, North America and Europe.

WUSC’s Summer Seminar is funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Participants are required to fundraise a portion of the costs and carry out development education activities in their communities upon their return to Canada.