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Teenager has valuable life experience Arctic Bay resident takes part in Canada Summer Games as youth ambassador
Myles Dolphin
Northern News Services
Published Monday, August 19, 2013
IKPIARJUK/ARCTIC BAY
A passion for volunteering and travel recently brought 18-year-old Arctic Bay resident Bruno Attagutsiak to Sherbrooke, Que., for the 2013 Canada Summer Games.
Arctic Bay teenager Bruno Attagutsiak spent a week at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que., as a Nunavut Youth Ambassador. - photo courtesy of Jennifer Taqtu |
One of Nunavut's seven youth ambassadors at the Games, Attagutsiak has been travelling frequently since he was 12 years old. He's been all over Canada - Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia and Alberta, among other places - but this was his first time in Quebec. He said the experience was quite memorable.
"I thought Sherbrooke was gorgeous and I really enjoyed all the places we went to," he said.
"We took the bus from Ottawa to Montreal, then to Sherbrooke. It was so nice to see my friends again."
Attagutsiak was part of a four-day orientation session in Iqaluit from May 30 to June 2, where he met and befriended the other Nunavut Youth Ambassadors. The workshops gave the volunteers - ranging from 16 to 23 years old - a variety of skills, such as speaking to reporters and anticipating what they may ask.
In Sherbrooke, the ambassadors helped make sure the first week of the event ran smoothly. On his first day, Attagutsiak worked security, ensuring people walking through the main entrance had the proper accreditation.
During the rest of the week, he worked on the Green Team, a group dedicated to making sure garbage and recyclables went to the right containers, and kept the venues clean.
"This squad of volunteers will be entirely devoted to environmentally responsible initiatives at the Games venues," according to the Canada Summer Games website.
"Its main mandate is to oversee waste and water-distribution management while creating environmental awareness among Games visitors."
Back in Arctic Bay, it was an educator who initially got Attagutsiak interested in the volunteer position.
Paulette Campbell, a teacher at Inuujaq School, thought her student would be a good candidate because of his eagerness to learn and to experience new things. She made sure he applied for the program before its March 15 deadline.
"He knows his strengths and he is gaining confidence in leadership roles," she said.
"He is intuitive about how he can help in a situation and he does not need to be asked. Bruno is respected among his peers and he enjoys being a part of a team."
Attagutsiak said he's always been interested in volunteering, whether it was at home or elsewhere.
"When there's stuff going on (in Arctic Bay) I try to help out during events," he said.
He already has his sights set on the next volunteering opportunity - the Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks, Alaska, next March.
"If there's a program similar to the youth ambassadors I'll definitely apply," he said.
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