This thesis examines the potential of international student programs to develop active citizenship, using as a case study the Mexico-Canada Rural Development Exchange (RDX). This exchange is a partnership between the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos , Augustana University College, and Canada World Youth, founded on the philosophies of critical pedagogy and participatory action research. Unlike traditional exchanges based on technical participation, the RDX is based on praxical participation. Whereas technical participation programs assume that learning and transformation arise from simple immersion in an exchange, praxical ones nurture continual cycles of action and reflection. The study finds that students of the RDX were able to participate actively in their own learning, as well as the modification of program structures and processes. Through this program, students were also able to critically examine structures of oppression and to articulate alternatives and were more willing to engage in transformative actions in their own communities.