Marrisa Idlout from Pond Inlet was selected as a 2020 NYA Participant. NYA supported her in attending the FOXY Peer Leader Retreat in August.

I am really happy that I had the opportunity in the summer to attend the Arctic Foxy retreat just outside Yellowknife, NWT. I almost did not make it because I was actually scheduled to attend the first retreat however due to flight cancellations and all the connections needed to get from Pond to Yellowknife, I did not make the first one but thankfully the second one.

I am grateful because I learned a lot and it was a really enjoyable time. It was a 9-day retreat at a lodge in the woods beside a lake outside Yellowknife and we had to take a float plane to get there which was fun. I spent the retreat with around 20 other girls between the ages of 14-17 yrs and I was one of the oldest. There were two main things that I learned that are still impacting me today. I learned just how important it is to know what a healthy relationship looks like and what it does not. It was really helpful to explore outcomes and different scenarios through talking and games.

It helped me think about the long term consequences of making sure I am in healthy relationships and just how different my life might be based on the choices I make in whom I chose to have a friendship with. The other main thing I learned was just how important a routine and schedule is to making my life and those I am around me happier. For example, when we are trying to do something together as a group, it is really important to get to bed early and have a similar sleep schedule with my cabin mates. This also taught me a lot about teamwork and communicating together as we got things done better that way and it was more fun too.

One of the things I loved doing every day was to go swimming in the lake. This was something that a lot of the others liked doing too so it was really social and fun. We created a lot of laughs and memories down at the lake. Overall, I really appreciated the chance to travel to another territory and experience a new environment different from North Baffin as well as learn a lot more about myself in a safe, open setting. I felt really comfortable there and would recommend participating in one of the retreats if it is at all possible.

Thank you to NYA and Arctic Foxy for supporting my time there.

– Marrisa