SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Crystal Milligan, 25, is off to Kigali, Rwanda, this summer, where she will work with a youth human rights organization for six months.

Milligan is one of 16 young Canadians taking part in the Youth in Partnership program facilitated by the Coady International Institute of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., chosen from more than 230 applicants.

Crystal Milligan is shown here working with children in Ecuador. She says the excellent volunteers in Yellowknife inspired her in her choice of career. - photo courtesy of Crystal Milligan

Milligan was born and raised in Yellowknife. She graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2005 with a degree in International Relations and Political Science. This June she earned her masters degree in International Development and Management from Lund University in Sweden.

She has travelled to France, Sweden, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua through her studies and volunteer work.

Rwanda is known by most as the site of a devastating genocide in 1994.

"I have had to deal with a lot of raised eyebrows when I say where I'm going," said Milligan. "The country has made incredible advances in the last 10 years ... it is politically stable, secure, and witnessing fairly rapid economic growth."

Milligan will be working with an organization that will focus on interventions related to HIV/AIDS among Rwandan youth, as well as strengthening organizational capacity.

Part of Milligan's role in Rwanda will be to make sure that gender equity and equalization are taken into consideration when taking action and making decisions.

"We we want to ensure that the processes are gender equal and that the outcomes are fair and just," said Milligan.

She said growing up in Yellowknife has had an influence on the life path she has taken.

"My family and my city have had great bearing on who I am and on the career I have chosen," she said. "I grew up in a place with a strong sense of community. Working in a women's shelter in Yellowknife opened my eyes to some of the issues in the North. People in Yellowknife have inspired me through their volunteer work. I want to take this inspiration and share it with the world."

She completed an internship with the Pan American Health Organization in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

"I have a connection with the people in Nicaragua and Guatemala," she said. "I think I might like to work there when I finish my internship in Africa. People say Africa steals your heart, so who knows, maybe I will end up working there instead."

Milligan encourages other youth to get involved in programs like this.

"Sometimes it is just a matter of doing some research and filling out an application. It is truly a wonderful opportunity," said Milligan.

Milligan was scheduled to leave for Rwanda on July 20.