Rick Jr. at NYA’s Orientation Camp in Ottawa. Photo: Thorsten Gohl

Hi, my name is Rick Jr. Oyukuluk. I am from Arctic Bay, Nunavut, I am enjoying my time here in Hamilton, Ontario. When we were flying to Ottawa I was very excited that it was going to be my very first time in the south. When we got to the airport I was nervous to see beautiful places, like stores and everything like that. When I got outside with my friend from home Napassi, I was like, when I breathe it’s not the same thing as where we live. And also I was getting to see lots of cars and places that I’ve never seen before, and I was worried about the half hour drive to the camp where we stayed.

I couldn’t sleep when we got to the cabin because I was too happy to be down south. After the day we woke up it was very nice out, sunny and and I was getting very hot like super fast. And I couldn’t wait till we went to the baseball game, and to the swimming pool. But after we went to those places I was thinking that we were going to go shopping but we didn’t and I was worried about that because we only went to two places in Ottawa. And I didn’t know there were going to be a lot of mosquitos at the camp, but there were a lot of them. 

In Hamilton I usually go to work at 8:30 now with the kids at a martial arts summer camp. Before that I worked at a restaurant called Except for Kenneth, but not anymore. The place is very different from my home town, and the weather here is too hot for me. As usual my home town is colder right now, but sometimes it’s hot too. My host family and I went to the Music Festival a few days ago, and we enjoyed it very much. There were people dancing and celebrating, and also we went to Canada’s Wonderland, and Niagara Falls. It was so beautiful to see Buffalo, United States of America, and we have our own TV, weights and a couch in our bedroom. Thank you…!

Courtnee prepares muktuk to share at orientation from a beluga whale she caught in the spring.

Hello, my name is Courtnee Keevik I’m from Tuktoyaktuk, NT which has a population of 1000 people so its very much different for me to be living in such a big reserve here on Six Nations, ON. When I first left home I was not excited at all, I had so many different feelings inside of me of worry, loneliness, and scared. But now that I’m here I’m loving it so much and trying to make the best of it because this is a once in a lifetime experience! I’ve only been in this program for 3 weeks and I’ve learned so much about myself. I feel more independent as a person and almost like I can do anything haha. Additionally, let me tell you a few things about what I do on a daily basis which is work. My work placement consists of working with kids ages 5-13 from 8:30am til 4pm. Basically what I do is supervise them and play sports with them all day, we also travel a lot and go to parks and awesome places like Canada’s Wonderland. I enjoy being with these kids all day, they definitely brighten up my day and make me feel like a better person. My host family has 3 members in this household including my host mother (Brooke Powless), my host father (Bud Powless) and host brother (Steven Powless) and 2 other daughters Skyler and Kelsey Powless who don’t live in the residence. They’re so generous all the time and make me feel so at home and I think that’s why I haven’t gotten homesick at all yet. I enjoy spending my days with them and am even excited to get off work to see them! Such an awesome and amazing family! There are so many things that are different here in the South than in the North. I’ve experienced so many new things already pretty much everyday and will keep doing so until my 5 weeks is up! Everyday Brooke takes us to do something we’ve never done before and I love her for that. But, the houses here are very spread out unlike back home where they’re all so close together. Also, the stores are huge compared to out tiny Northern and Stanton stores. Ive also seen animals that I’ve never see in my life before so thats pretty cool! I’ve seen bison, cows, donkeys, racoons, killer whales and pigs. All these animals you don’t see up North so it was awesome! Also, the culture here really isn’t any different we all have the same beliefs and we all do the same things like dances and stuff. But we speak different languages but I think thats an awesome thing to learn about. So far I’ve seen/done shopping, radio bingo, glow in the dark golfing, mini putting, bowling, sprint car racing, tubing, paddle boarding, went to marine land and mowed a lawn for the first time. More things to come as this trip isn’t over yet!

Napassi is seen here playing volleyball with fellow NYA Next Participants during free time at the Algonquin College residence. (Photo: Thorsten Gohl)

My name is Napassi Joseph, I am from Arctic Bay Nunavut. I did my Canadian Phase in 2013. I was placed in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

This summer is the best summer ever!! I am so thankful for the NYA staff for giving me this awesome opportunity. NYA next gave me hope and confidence. I am telling you that, who ever is reading this, if you did this program, you’d have so much fun too. The best program ever. We went to the Ottawa Champions baseball game and we will be going to a Toronto Blue Jays game when we get to Toronto. Our course this summer is carpentry. I thought I would never like carpentry but it is my favourite thing to do now. I hope more people will apply for this program next year. If you think this program will give you nothing, you are wrong. It will give you anything you wanted this summer. Some of the other participants saw a wild turkey but I did not so I hope I get to see one when we get to re-orientation. We also did “lets talk science” and I got to see what my DNA look like lol. fun! I will never forget this experience.

There’s less than one month until NYA’s summer programming kicks off, but there’s still plenty of time to show your support and contribute to the success of another group of NYA Participants! Two quick and simple ways you can help out and make a direct impact on Participants are by sponsoring a Canadian Participant Placement Kit or donating Aeroplan Miles to assist with travel costs. Find out how to get involved and make a difference for this year’s Participants below.

Participant Placement Kit Sponsorship
Living away from home isn’t easy. In fact, NYA’s programming relies on that fact. Through 7-week summer placements, NYA challenges its participants to step outside their comfort zones by living with a host family in southern Canada, experiencing new places, customs, and cultures while fulfilling a full-time volunteer position. Through this experience, Participants gain workplace skills, earn 9 high school credits and participate in cultural exchange, all fostering their self-confidence and independence while investing in their ability to become future leaders of the north. NYA does its best to prepare Participants for this journey by ensuring they have all the tools required to achieve success. One way that we do this is by providing each Participant with all the basic supplies that they may need for their summer placements in a Placement Kit.

You can help make a tangible impact on a Participant by sponsoring a Participant Placement Kit. With a donation of $45, you can subsidize the cost of one of these kits to provide a Participant with everything they need for a successful NYA experience, without the worry of forgetting or not being able to afford basic supplies. Participant Placement Kits include a backpack, water bottle, tooth brush, tooth paste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, body wash, NYA T-Shirt, and NYA Sweatshirt. While $45 is the requested amount for the sponsorship of one Participant Placement Kit, donations of all sizes are accepted and appreciated.

To donate, follow this link and be sure to select the NYA Participant Placement Sponsorship Fund.

Aeroplan Miles Donation
Travel is the backbone of NYA’s programming and plays a significant role in contributing to the organization’s impact on Participants. By leaving their comfort zone each Participant builds independence, confidence and resilience; all important factors in future success. As an organization dedicated to the North, the high cost of northern travel has a substantial impact on NYA’s budget every year. While we are incredibly fortunate to receive generous support from our long-time funding partner, Canadian North Airlines, travel still remains the most costly element of NYA’s programming. You can help alleviate NYA’s travel costs by donating Aeroplan miles that can be used to book flights for Participants. Aeroplan also contributes an additional 10% for every donation, so for every 100 points you donate, NYA receives 110! You can donate your Aeroplan miles here.

Thanks so much for your continued support,

The NYA Team