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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
When Deh Gah School student Jamie Norwegian found out he was going to Botswana this summer he was given just two days to pack, prepare and get to Yellowknife for his flight

Kyle Tutcho of Colville Lake, left, and Jamie Norwegian of Fort Providence went to Botswana this past summer as part of Northern Youth Abroad's international program. - photo courtesy of Northern Youth Abroad

"It was last minute," said Norwegian.

Norwegian travelled to Africa this summer as part of Northern Youth Abroad (NYA), a program which seeks to provide youth with work skills through cross-cultural work and learning experiences nationally and internationally. Usually, participants aren’t picked on such short notice but Norwegian was asked to fill in for a student that had to drop out unexpectedly.

Rebecca Bisson, program director for NYA, said the student trips are really about giving teenagers a chance to experience a place outside of their home and expose them to a different lifestyle.

"I think the opportunity to compare your own home and culture and community to another one actually strengthens your ties and beliefs in what you have back home," said Bisson. "I would just say if there is one thing that we can say we really see is participants' self-confidence grow."

During his six-week trip Norwegian and seven other students were supposed to volunteer at a daycare but it burned down shortly before they got there. So instead the teenagers spent time cleaning up the rubble.

The group also went on a safari, which Norwegian said was his favourite part. He also saw a crocodile farm with about 2,000 crocodiles.

"I saw one of the biggest crocs in Botswana," said the Grade 12 student, adding it was about 72 years old and 4.6 to 6.1 metres long.

Norwegian said the trip was a great way to spend his summer.

"It was a really good experience," he said. "The people that we worked for were very nice."

To get onto the international trip, Norwegian first had to get into the Canadian program. To apply, he had to submit a resume and go through an interview. Then, he and 35 other participants, from Nunavut and the NWT aged 15 to 21 years old, were selected for a placement in southern Canada.

Travelled to Nova Scotia last year

Last year, Norwegian went to Cape Breton, N.S., where he worked at a youth centre while living with a host family.

Usually, after that participants would apply for the international trip. Bisson said, NYA tries to accommodate all the youth who apply for this leg of the program. However, the cut off age is 23.

Bisson said students can use the trips to get up to 16 elective credits for high school. Before the kids leave on the trip they have a number of assignments they must complete, including fundraising, researching and volunteering. They also have to give presentations on their experience when they get back.

Norwegian said although he really enjoyed the trip, he won't be going back to Botswana anytime soon.

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