Emma Levez
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 20/98) - Don Irving wants Northern communities to know there's help available if they need it.

The western co-ordinator of the Frontiers Foundation's Operation Beaver paid a visit to the NWT at the beginning of July to discuss the possibility of assigning more volunteers to help band and town councils with administrative duties.

During his stay, Irving met with several First Nations leaders to let them know about services provided by Frontiers Foundation.

Founded in 1964, Operation Beaver is a program that brings volunteers from all over the world to work in underprivileged Canadian communities.

For the last four years, volunteers have been coming to various communities in the NWT. They help in a variety of ways, but have focused so far on the provision of low-cost housing and running schools.

There are some costs which must be absorbed by the communities, such as travel (within Canada), food and living expenses, a volunteer allowance, insurance, winter clothing and overhead support.

The actual amount varies depending on the location and circumstances of the community.

Kiilinik high school in Cambridge Bay has been taking advantage of the Operation Beaver program for almost three years when currently a volunteer from Germany is working.

"It's great to have an additional person here to work with the students," said principal, George Illaszewiscz.

"I don't know what it would be like without a volunteer now." There are a variety of ways in which the volunteer contributes to the school. She works with individual groups, helps the students to make Web pages and supervises the school yearbook. In the evenings she gives yoga classes to interested students and adults.

Illaszewiscz estimated that having a volunteer has cost between $5,000 and $6,000 a year.

Over the past year there have been six volunteers at work in Inuvik. Ann Lange, executive assistant at the Inuvik District Education Authority, said the program is working out well.

"The volunteers are a pleasure to have in the community," she said.

The contributions made by the volunteers, who were from Australia, England, Ireland and elsewhere in Canada, reflected their individual talents, Lang added.

"They did different things depending on their interests and abilities," explained Lange. She gauged the price of each volunteer at $10,000 for the year.

Next year the education authority will cut its volunteer staff back to three, but Lange expects that they will continue to use the Frontiers Foundation program in coming years.

"As long as it remains beneficial, we will continue to us it," she said.

Rae-Edzo, Fort Smith, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit also have volunteers have been placed.

Irving said it is the young residents in particular who enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world. "They always remember the people," he said.

Volunteers enter the program because they want to learn about the North. "Work actually becomes secondary to the friendships made," said Irving. "The volunteers get a lot out of the program -- more than they could ever give."