Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Aug 14/98) - It's summertime and the travails aren't easy.

Students are being employed in offices, stores, campgrounds and pools throughout the region. It's an opportunity to pocket some money and to learn some job skills.

At the Deh Cho First Nations office in Fort Simpson, Sabrina Gargan and Shermayn Moses have been busy answering phones, faxing, photocopying, filing, working with computers and preparing mail.

"It's good to know," Moses, 15, said of the skills she's acquiring. "I do whatever is needed."

She has been working during the summer since age 11 and spent last year in Wrigley working in tourism.

"I wanted a summer job," said Moses, A Grade 11 student who plans to go to university to pursue dentistry.

Gargan, 17, has previously been employed through the Jean Marie River band office. She also plans to attend university, where she wants to study architecture. This summer, she admittedly took the job with the DCFN with a little encouragement from Mom.

The DCFN has a history of providing work for summer students. The number of youth they can accommodate depends largely on funding, according to Doris Erasmus, administrative co-ordinator. Last year, they could only employ one student. This year, they had four positions, but only three applicants. She assumes that there must have been more than enough jobs to go around this summer.

The students at the DCFN office have been "very helpful," Erasmus said.

"They catch on pretty quick and they pretty much work on their own now," she said.

When they complete their work terms at the end of the month, it might be a bit difficult to re-adjust, Moses admitted.

"It's kind of like going to school because you're here all day, but you get paid. So, I guess I will sort of miss it," she said. "It's been really nice to work with these people. They're really nice people."