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New experiences, new friends Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison Northern News Services Published Monday, November 28, 2011
The 19-year-old Fort McPherson resident is one of 25 NWT youth ambassadors chosen to represent the territory at the upcoming Arctic Winter Games - not on the playing field, but on the sidelines and behind the scenes.
From March 4 to 10, Blake will act as a volunteer at the games in Whitehorse, making sure events run smoothly. "I'm hoping to gain a lot of friends and experience and just have a good time," she said. "It's just a good experience and I think anybody can do it. It really opens you up and puts you out there and gets you out of your comfort zone." Blake chose to apply to the program after hearing stories about the games from her sister-in-law, Joyce Storr, who is the recreation co-ordinator in Fort McPherson. "I saw the application and said, 'Hmm, I should try this out'," she said. After submitting her application, completing a criminal records check, interviewing with leaders of the program and agreeing to a code of conduct, Blake was told the good news. "It was a great pleasure. I was really happy when I got the news that I was accepted because I knew that was an opportunity for me to travel and get out of Fort McPherson more and meet new people," she said. From Nov. 4 to 10, the territory's 25 youth ambassadors met in Yellowknife for training and attended workshops on things such as public speaking, how to properly introduce themselves and the history of different Arctic sports. In addition, they got to mix and mingle with youth from across the territory. "Once we got to know each other we just clicked," Blake said. "It was lots of fun. I got to meet a lot of new people and see what their past experiences were and just get to know each other before we went. It was really enjoyable. The 25 youth, according to Blake, had much in common despite being from different communities. They all had an open mind, she said, and were able to talk to people from all walks of life. Although she might move back to Grande Prairie, Alta., in January to complete her second year of nursing studies, Blake said she hopes the ambassador program will lead to more opportunities to travel and volunteer. As for other youth thinking about getting involved in the ambassador program, or with other volunteer work, she had these words of advice: "Just do it and go for it." Altogether, five youth from the Beaufort Delta, 10 from the Sahtu, three from the North Slave region, two from Deh Cho and five from the South Slave region were chosen to act as youth ambassadors.
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