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TUKTOYAKTUK
Hayden Stuart is setting the bar high. The Grade 11 student at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk says he has always been interested in politics.

Hayden Stuart, a Grade 11 student at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk, is taking a strong interest in politics. - photo courtesy of Alex Storino

When asked if he would ever consider stepping into the political ring and what type of politician he would become, he answers quickly.

"Prime minister," Stuart said. "I'm ambitious."

Stuart was recently chosen to participate in the Forum for Young Canadians, a week-long journey in Ottawa where he will learn how the federal government works.

Participants meet MPs and senators and attend parliamentary sessions, as well as do workshops and mock cabinet meetings with youth from across Canada.

Stuart will also give a presentation on Arctic sovereignty.

He said the experience will help him on his way to a life of politics.

"People say I have a good vocabulary and I'm good with words, so people say I should be a politician," he said. "It's something I'm looking forward to. I know it's going to be a lot of work."

Stuart isn't afraid of hard work.

He is already the captain of the school's basketball team, serves on the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation's youth committee and is a member of the school's student council.

Stuart is also learning about business. He and a team of classmates are working on a business idea destined for the National Aboriginal Youth Business Plan Competition in Kamloops, B.C.

Stuart said the business, titled No Pain, No Gain, is an educational tool that teaches the benefits of traditional games, such as the knuckle hop.

"They're games that our elders used to play long ago to keep fit and strong over the winter," he said.

The business plan involves traditional games demonstrators travelling to communities throughout Canada and the circumpolar world teaching proper technique and the cultural significance of the games.

Stuart said the plan can be incorporated into native or Northern studies curricula, as well as physical education.

He said the plan also helps promote aboriginal culture.

"It keeps our culture alive and lets other youth around the world know how we used to live long ago and keeps our culture going from generation to generation," he said.

Stuart credited Alex Storino, the guidance counsellor at Mangilaluk School, as his inspiration for both the competition and the youth forum.

Storino said Stuart's positive attitude and ambition are the keys to his success.

"Not only is he outgoing, he's willing to take on projects and little tasks himself," Storino said.

He said Stuart and other youth benefit from opportunities that allow them to travel.

"I think it's really important for kids who live in remote communities across the North to leave, to get an understanding of what it's like in these other places, because otherwise it's just something you see online or on television," he said. "It makes it more tangible."

Stuart said he agreed. He said he is looking forward to travelling to Ottawa for the youth forum.

"It will be really cool to be in the program because I don't get a lot of opportunities to travel," he said.

Stuart said he is especially excited to eat in the city's restaurants and visit museums.

"I've always wanted to check out museums," he said.

Stuart will travel to Ottawa in February.

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