SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Like many of her peers, 18-year-old Yellowknife resident Charlene Simpson wanted to see the world.

Charlene Simpson, 18, is heading to Botswana, Africa, to work with women and children as part of the Northern Youth Abroad program. - Katie May/NNSL photo

Unlike many of them, she's now getting ready to travel halfway around the globe to make that dream come true.

Simpson is going to Maun, a village in Botswana, Africa as part of the Northern Youth Abroad program, which partners with Canadian North airlines to give Northern young people opportunities to travel south and experience different cultures.

Simpson, who just graduated from St. Patrick high school, is one of 46 teens from across NWT and Nunavut to be accepted into the five-week program this year. She participated in the Canadian phase of the program last summer, running a day camp for kids in Truro, N.S. Now, after raising her $800 share of the trip - the remainder of the cost is covered by Northern Youth Abroad - Simpson's got her sights set on international skies. She'll work with women from an organization called Women Against Rape (WAR) and help build children's schools.

"I want to see the world and help kids who don't have much," she said. "It's important for me because it will help what I want to do."

In the future she plans to attend the University of Guelph for international development studies.

"I'm really excited to work with the kids."

Simpson, who applied for the trip last November, is the only participant from Yellowknife in this summer's program. The group left for Ottawa on Thursday.

While in the nation's capital they will complete an orientation session, then head to Botswana on July 4.