WELLINGTON COUNTY — A local French teacher has created a community group to help students experience the world outside Wellington County.
Running international field trips for students aged 15-18, teacher Steph Severn said she was inspired to create the Youth Travel Initiative as it has become more difficult for teachers to coordinate international field trips for students through the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB).
Having previously organized several of these trips for students during her tenure, Severn said she felt not having an opportunity for these trips was doing a "disservice" to youth in the community.
"Not a lot of kids are probably going to have the opportunity to travel to Europe or to larger destinations as an entire family because obviously the cost of that is quite expensive," said Severn. "And so giving the students the opportunity to save for it, to work, to fundraise and to travel with friends and experience new cultures- I just was so upset that that was not being allowed by our school board."
Severn had the opportunity to participate in a similar trip when she was 13, travelling to France where she experienced different cultures, food and languages.
The group is currently coordinating a trip to Portugal in March 2026.
"It just really helped me to broaden my world of view and my horizons and I feel that that is so important for youth today, to be able to experience a different world than what they're so accustomed to and what they're used to," said Severn. "I also think it really allows them to kind of gain some independence and confidence."
Another key element of international trips is their ability to make learning more engaging for students.
"Instead of learning all these things in a textbook or on a video that your teacher shows you, or whatever it may be, it lets students actually be able to have the real world experience and bring education to life in certain situations," said Severn. "I think that is huge."
Involving kids from across Wellington County, the group recently went on its first trip earlier this year, travelling to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris over March Break.
Severn believes of the 24 students who participated, at least half had never left the country.
One of the locations students visited was the Anne Frank House, which Severn called a "monumental" visit for most of the students on the trip as they had read about it in their textbooks.
"Actually being able to walk through the apartment, listen to the audio, hear their stories, see where they were hiding for that long- it really just brought that to life," said Severn.
Costs and getting the word out remain the biggest barriers for the group, as the school board doesn't allow the group to advertise in schools.
To minimize costs, Severn said she tries to create lots of fundraising opportunities including their current Christmas chocolate fundraiser.
Average trip costs range between $4,000-$5,000 but can vary depending on the location said Severn.
"(These trips) are such a cool eye-opening experience," said Severn. "I love having the opportunity to watch students see and experience all these things that they've only ever read or heard about. Watching them experience it firsthand- it's a pretty incredible experience."
While there are some circumstances where international trips are permitted, Heather Loney, communications manager for the UGDSB said in an emailed statement that international curriculum-focused trips are not permitted unless they are reviewed by a Superintendent and approved by the Associate Director, who holds responsibility for that school.
More information about the Youth Travel Initiative is available on the group's Instagram.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
