Stretching wings and broadening skills
Young Nunavummiut get hands-on lessons in Ottawa through Northern Youth Abroad
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Saturday, July 15, 2017
OTTAWA
Hayley Totalik and James Duncan are spending a good part of their summer thousands of kilometres from home constructing picture frames and dog houses, while also learning other skills.
Hayley Totalik of Taloyoak, left, and James Duncan of Rankin Inlet, right, are participants in the Northern Youth Abroad (NYA) Next program while Trina Qaqqaq of Baker Lake, centre, who has several years of NYA experience, is a group leader. They're all in Ottawa for part of their summer. - photo courtesy of Trina Qaqqaq/NYA
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They are participants in the five-week Northern Youth Abroad (NYA) Next program in Ottawa, which kicked off last week.
Totalik, 18, heard about NYA from others in her home community of Taloyoak and read more about the program on a notice posted at school. She got involved last year and travelled to Truro, N.S., where she volunteered at a food bank.
"I decided to take this program so I could gain more leadership skills, so that I could advise the youth in my community to travel, explore and educate yourself about the world," Totalik said.
She said she likes Ottawa for its scenery, shopping options and mass transit.
"I'd never been on a bus before," she said.
Duncan, also 18, said he wants to build on his carpentry skills, having taken an industrial arts program and being a woodshop volunteer while helping other students work on their projects back in Rankin Inlet.
"When I took that class I was making traditional tools and knives," Duncan said.
He learned of NYA through his school's guidance counsellor and it sounded like a good fit because he likes to travel. He spent last summer on a road trip through the Prairies with relatives.
"I think it's great. I'm just starting to explore the city and it's nice," he said of Ottawa, adding that Parliament Hill impressed him most.
There will be many outings with NYA Next such as trips to museums and options to take language or music lessons, all at no cost to participants.
Trina Qaqqaq of Baker Lake, one of three group leaders for the 14 NYA Next youth, has several years of experience with the program, including a trip to Botswana in 2012, and acting as a facilitator for other travelling students in years after that.
"Northern Youth Abroad is the most rewarding and amazing experience I've been involved in as a participant, a facilitator and a group leader," Qaqqaq said.
In addition to travel, the program teaches those enrolled about goal setting, budgeting and about other cultures, according to Qaqqaq, 23.
"I truly believe it saves lives... it's an opportunity for youth to see that there are other opportunities and there are more things out there than just their small community," she said, adding that "youth from the North typically like more of the hands-on type learning."
As group leader, Qaqqaq makes sure the participants are attending class regularly and eating properly. She also helps them with finances and offers coaching and support if they're homesick. One thing she doesn't expect to have to provide guidance for is recreational activities. She said most of the students are familiar with the ByWard Market shopping district, the movie theatres and many have family and friends living in the nation's capital.
"There's no shortage of things going on in Ottawa," said Qaqqaq. "If one of them asked me, I'd try to push them out of their comfort zone a little bit and say 'If you've never gone bowling, let's go bowling. Or maybe we can find a place to go-kart or (play) laser tag.'"
