Hi, Can anyone tell me where all the young people go in Canada?
We came to Canada nearly two years ago and are still finding our feet. Main problem is meeting people!
My daughter is 19 and cannot work as we are still temp residents until the permanent is sorted out. It seems impossible for her to meet people her age as any local pubs are full of people over the age of 45!
If anyone can give any advice or has a daughter/son in the same position in the Port Hope/Cobourg area, please get in touch. I am worried that she will pack up and go back to the UK if she can't mix with people her own age!

The Smiffies

Hockey, Skating, Church Piing Pong.... The Mall

The UK or the rest of Europe

Yeah thanks.
I suppose it is a case of getting used to how different it is in Canada.
I think she assumed it would be like the UK where everyone is fighting to getting in the pub at the weekend.

Can she maybe volunteer or something like that so she meets people? Get her a study permit so she do a course at college? Do some community courses that are aimed at her age group?

Conversation this week:

Cradle Colleague "did you see the listing for the house Maxine bought?"

Me "yes, it looks nice but that's really in the middle of nowhere, they won't be walking to any pub"

CC "Yes, but they're young, barely twenty, and from here. All they want to do is to sit outside and smoke dope."

Bush parties.

I suppose the problem is that most kids make friends at school, college, uni etc.

I live 45 minutes from you and will post something on my facebook page asking this question and see if there any answers. PM me and I can give you my FB name etc

Thanks for all your replies.
She has a study permit but when we came out here she looked into college courses and the cheapest courses were about $15-20,000 as she was classed as an international student. And that was for a course that didnt really interest her, just something to meet people.
She has done a Home study course, but that doesnt help her meet friends!
She cannot volunteer - which she would be more than willing to do - as her Visa strickly states that she is not allowed too!

Thanks Fledermaus, I really appreciate it. I will try to Pm you. However i am a
novice to this site!!

You may have to post a couple more times to enable the private messaging.

There is volunteering and volunteering... there must be something she can do to they out and meet people.... sports clubs, mutual interests groups, youth events etc etc.

Its hard without school and all that though.

Oh thanks for that.
She could have gone to school when we first came out here but as she had left school in the UK a year before and had been working, she didnt want to go back to school in Canada. if she had though, she probably wouldnt be in this position.
So, she wouldnt be breaking any major rules by helping out somewhere for a few hours a week?

Its a grey and murkey area Im afraid.

I thought visitors were allowed to volunteer, just not enter the job market or volunteer for a job that would normally be paid

My work permit prohibited it (and education) , but things like soccer coaching and work related study were OK, it was more "full time" stuff that was prohibited. As I said, its a very grey area.

Is she on a student permit then, or a visitor's, or open? If she isn't studying then would she need to change her status? Maybe one of the immigration experts would know the answer to this if you posted in the immigration forum?

This is from the CIC website
Volunteer activities that are not “work” and do not require a work permit

* Volunteer work for which a person would not normally be remunerated, such as a foreign student being a ‘big brother’, or ‘big sister’ to a child; being on the line at a rape crisis centre. Normally this activity would be part time and incidental to the main reason that the person is in Canada (in this case, to study).
* Unremunerated observation of the functioning of a given work environment or occupation (i.e. following a geologist on their sample-gathering trips). In some cases, minor tasks may be performed by the foreign student (such as clerical chores), however there should not a significant contribution to the productivity of the enterprise.
* Unremunerated helping of a friend or family member during a visit.
* There may be other types of unpaid short-term work where the work is really incidental to the main reason that the foreign student is in Canada and is not a competitive activity, even though non-monetary valuable consideration is received. For instance, if a foreign student wishes to stay on a family farm and work part time just for room and board for a short period (i.e., 1-4 weeks), this would not be considered an activity which requires a work permit.

Yes, my daughter is on a study permit. Valid for the three year duration of hubby's TWP.
To be honest, it never occured to me about changing her status.
We are in the process of applying for Permanent Residency and it hasn't been brought up by anyone yet.