Miron said the trip was a life-changing experience for her and for the eight teenage Montrealers who participated in the exchange.

“It was my first time experiencing something like that,” said Miron. “I saw how they live, how they give a lot to others, and how their families are close together,” she said.

Four teenagers from Westmount, along with four others from Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, got to see first-hand how people live in one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. Miron said the trip opened everyone's eyes and changed their attitudes towards over-consumption and wasting limited resources such as water, food, and electricity.

For his part, White was amazed at how the Nicaragua ACJ does so much for the community with so little resources.

“They have become very good at figuring out what their community needs and how they can put a plan in place to address those needs,” he said.

Both the Westmount and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve YMCAs are now preparing to receive the Nicaraguan teenagers next winter. Their goal is to provide the Nicaraguan kids with as significant a learning experience as the one the Montreal kids had in Nicaragua.

This will be the first time that the Nicaraguan delegation will come to Montreal during the winter, making it a bigger challenge for White and Miron.

“I'm really nervous about them being cold,” Miron said. “We're looking for people to help us find clothes for the winter because they'll arrive here with basically nothing,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Carolyne Miron.