Greetings to you all, tall and small. I am Ezra, a proud participant of Northern Youth Abroad Next. I am 17 years old, and I come from a community of 2,000 people.

Northern Youth Abroad Next is a program that lets the youth of the NWT and Nunavut territories travel and discover job opportunities, education, and volunteer opportunities throughout Canada. Youth from the north are given the chance to learn, grow, and discover new things they may not have known or been taught in school. NYA also helps plan your future, or at least get you started on planning if you’re still unsure.

The Participants of NYA Next work together on assignments, activity planning, volunteer work, and trades for post-secondary. We played games, traversed the city, cooked/baked together, and even did a bit of music production together, all with laughs and supporting one another when things got a bit rough.

Despite not being used to the heat,I had a great time being lucky enough to be selected for this program. Both the fellow participants and staff were fun to work with, and every day was a new lesson and adventure. We have a lot of pictures of us working together, cooking/baking, volunteering, and just having fun as a group.

NYA Next taught me a lot about living in the city, volunteering, fundraising, and working in groups. I feel lucky to have met the staff and other participants, and would love to work with these people again someday. The staff showed a great deal of patience, knowledge, empathy, and understanding. There were very few moments where I wondered “how long is this gonna last?” because it felt like I was experiencing something new at a consistent rate, even if things slowed down or went irregularly fast.

I recommend Northern Youth Abroad to anyone who is still unsure of their future and would like something to give them a good start, as I now have a clear vision for my own future and am ready to set foot in the real world because of this program.


Sincerely,
Ezra Maksagak

Hello, I’m June Sanspariel, and I’m from up Behchoko, The Northwest Territories. I’ve been staying at Algonquin College, and it’s a lot bigger than I assumed (I didn’t think about the size or space it might or might not have). Before I travelled, I had already forgotten about the Canada map and where the cities are. So, I looked up Ottawa and was excited about how far I would be travelling for my trip.

I’ve been living where I am for so long that whenever I leave, I don’t want to return. My niece used to go to this College, and I would try to talk to her frequently and keep in touch. The last few times I had heard from her during her time living here, it was raining a lot, and she was always unprepared for the weather. I did not expect this much humidity and heat to last this long. It’s a lot more challenging than I’ve described. I refuse to talk about that, though, because I believe people can bear anything if they’re encouraged to. I was encouraged to continue with my placement.

We did welding as our first trade class, and I really dreaded it. Welding has never been for me. I’m pretty decent at it, but it’s just not my thing. Carpentry is what I’ll pursue the most in trades. I’ve been doing it since grade 9 (I’m now heading towards 11), and I’ve grown fond of it, enjoying the process of building.

My summer here has been really refreshing. At first, I had tight schedules and barely enough free time to relax, but I enjoy that. I signed up to stay busy and not have enough time to laze around. It’s been tiring, and we do a lot here, from our group activities to volunteering, but nonetheless, I love the work. We’ve been mostly working in the heat for our volunteer hours, and I never want to be down south during the summer again. The weather report says about 32 degrees, but we’ve been working during heat warnings. I worked at a garlic farm during a 40-degree day, picking garlic from the ground. I don’t think I’ll ever let myself sweat as much as I’ve had to.

Hello, my name is Lucy, I’m 19, and I’m from Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. Fort
Simpson has a population of about 1,300 people, we’re located in the southwestern area of the Dehcho region, and we’re a part of the Dene First Nations. Fun fact, we’re also the only village in the NWT! I’d like to start out by saying how lucky I am to have been given an opportunity like this, and I am very grateful to the staff and volunteers who make this program possible in the first place. Thank you.

I joined the Next program thanks to the encouragement of my teacher (hi Jill) and my bestfriend (hi Kesha, maybe you’ll have seen this before I’ve told you about it, haha. Also happy birthday :>).

The goal in this program is to let youth experience city life and experience different paths in life to see if maybe they’ll find something they want to do in the future, after they’ve graduated. And I’m immensely proud to say that I’ve found something that interests me thanks to this. In the next program, myself and 14 others stayed in Ottawa for the summer (from July 3rd to July 30th). Ottawa is huge, I’ve literally never been in a place so big (with a population of over 1mil??).

Since moving here for 4 weeks, I’ve had many opportunities to build healthy habits (like waking up and getting ready on time, or stretching everyday) and foster both confidence in myself and independence in my life. Everyday is a new chance to grow, whether it’s learning to live on my own, or meeting new people, or trying new foods.

Being away from home for so long (especially considering I had already been away for a
week) means it’s often that I was homesick, wishing to be back with my family and friends, in my own home, in my own bed. But the staff and other participants here are very supportive, so I’ve done fairly well here (and now I’ve only got about a week left here).

I have to say, this program definitely tested me. For the first two weeks I was here, there was a heat warning. Meaning that for most days, it was over 28° (I can firmly say I am very ready to go back home where it’s 23°). Combined with the endless work I’ve been doing, assignments, volunteering, and workshop classes, has been very hard on me (and my poor feet). But overall, so far, this program has been very rewarding. In the beginning, I was so sure I’d cave and end up going home because I was scared, but I stuck it out and I’m very proud of myself. Gotta say, though, it’s genuinely so crazy going from a population of 1,313 people to Ottawa’s 1,089,319 (as of July 23rd, 2025).

Overall, being in such a big place has been such an awesome experience. I know more
about what I want for my future, I learned about my financial options for college/uni (thanks to the workshop classes), and I’ve met so many cool new people (including, but not limited to, the 14 other participants, the 4 group leaders who gave their time to live alongside us, Dan, and the volunteers who taught us about their careers).

I’ve learned a lot in my time here and I’m very excited to finally go home and tell everyone I love all about it. I really can’t wait to see where I go from here (I’m so jealous of future me, I wanna know if I did it!).

• Lucy

My name is Latisha Porter and I’m from Gjoa Haven, Nunavut. It’s about 2,832 kilometres away from Ottawa! During the NYA Next I met new people and did new things. I’m thankful to NYA for this opportunity to meet all the people I have met.

I enjoyed going to TROtt, where I got to ride a horse. It was so cool seeing a horse for the first time. We cleaned the horse gave it a massage before riding it. I was both excited and calm when I rode the horse. Thanks to the people that allowed me to do this. So cool.

I have toured about 10 colleges and universities with Northern Youth Abroad. This experience has taught me to live independently in cities, and the most important part of it all was learning how to save money and manage my anger without getting upset.
I’ve got to do welding for the second time, and we’ve made an eagle and a wolf. It was a pleasure to meet all these people from all the programs we did. The best part of all this was riding the horses and going swimming. I did so many things like welding, berry picking, garlic picking, construction work.

During my time at NYA Next, I had the opportunity to visit the beach, go rowing, tour Parliament, and participate in construction and welding. We did campus tours and I got to see Nunavut Sivunuksavut. That was so cool.

Hi, my name is Antonio Suvissak. I’m from Naujaat, Nunavut. I’ve met many people during my time at NYA and made new friends. I’m glad to be part of NYA. It was fun, and I’m still having fun in Ottawa. I learned how to row and swim. My favourite time was participating in Cirque du Soleil. They participated in various activities, including high rope courses, athletics, and dancing. It’s a French circus that performs worldwide. We also went to a Lebanese festival, where they had all sorts of rides, carnival games and snacks. It was fun.

We also went to the parliament we had a tour and went to the house of commons were we met Lori Idlout the MP of Nunavut. We also went to a football tournament the Ottawa versus Halifax team, and the Ottawa team won with 1-0 score. It was fun and exciting they also let us have the chance to let us high five the teams.

I met a lot of people while in the NYA group everyone was different and special in their own way I hope I get to meet them again! Thank you NYA it was a fun experience in Ottawa.

Hello! My name is Carolyn Awa. 

I’m one of the NYA Next participants, and I’m from Igloolik, Nunavut. The meaning of Igloolik quite literally means “there is a house here.” So I guess I could say that I do live in an Igloo.

I’m rooted in a community that’s passionate about preserving Inuit culture, language, and traditional knowledge. I’m sooo grateful to stand on the shoulders of my ancestors. <3

My favourite hobbies back home include arts and crafts with my lovely nieces, as well as beading, sewing, and crocheting. I also appreciate going out for drives, taking care of errands, and I love fishing trips!

The NYA Next program is here to support you every step of the way as you prepare for post-secondary education. You’ll learn essential life skills, like navigating public transportation and understanding university or college life.

This program has been an exciting adventure, for fun activities we’ve went to beach trips, museum visits, shopping at malls, bowling, watched a soccer game and many more unforgettable experiences!

My favourite activities were the trampoline park, going out to the beach, visiting museums, and many more!

We also get to participate in workshops with amazing instructors who share their knowledge like cooking, baking, carpentry, welding, finance, and many more. Some of these workshops are held around the college campus, providing an opportunity to explore possible future career options and get a feel for what you might enjoy.

One of my many favourite workshops were carpentry, welding, acting workshop and printmaking! 

Along with the fun activities come challenges that you might face, such as feeling homesick, longing for someone you know closely, and feeling overwhelmed by crowded places.

To overcome these challenges, I found journaling, video chatting with friends and family to be really helpful. I was also lucky to have made some good friendships during the program, which made things easier, and trying new hobbies with them was a great experience!

I highly recommend this program, even if you’re not planning to go to post-secondary. You’ll discover new interests and learn more about yourself, just like I did with NYA Next.  

Qujannamiik, Carolyn 🙂

Hi, my name is Peyton Simba, and I’m from Kakisa Lake, Northwest Territories, a small community of 40 people in the Dehcho region. 

It’s been quite a few interesting weeks on the NYA program. Starting at the camp where I met some amazing people, where I will know them for a long time. The staff then prepares us for what we can expect and what we will be working on. The staff at the NYA have been the best. Then my host family took my buddy and me into their house for us to learn and gain work experience, and so on. Showing us how to get around Ottawa for work and what we wanted to do. They have been the best people that I could’ve asked for. I am grateful to my host family for teaching me how to navigate the bus system. 

Being in a new place is also fun. Work has been good, as I learn new skills every day, which I can then bring back to my community. I was working at a Thrift Store on the east side of Ottawa for five weeks. It’s a busy place, and a lot of donations come in. I sorted clothes, worked at the jewelry counter. Mahsi (thanks) to my supervisor and coworkers for training me. 

Ottawa has been an interesting place, with new sites to explore and so on. My favourite parts were meeting new people at the Thrift Store and spending time at the gym and swimming pool. I enjoyed watching the fireworks on Canada Day and the performances by the singers during the concerts. 

My advice for other youth in the NWT is to apply for NYA.  First, it will be really hot down south, and you will get homesick, but I encourage you to be mentally ready for the work you will be doing, being ready on time, and working long hours at your workplace. NYA is a great program for youth to learn new skills that they can bring back to their community to help other youth deal with whatever challenges they face at home. 

My name is Ernie Lyall & I am from Taloyoak, Nunavut. I have been living at Algonquin Residence for a month, learning new things about college, and I have enjoyed it. We did trades school here in Ottawa, trades was the highlight of my summer I did Welding, Automotive and Construction, I got to learn how to weld, work on cars and I got into construction which I didn’t like we built dog houses. I learned a lot of new opportunities while living in Ottawa Ontario for a month I found new jobs and what college offers after I am done high school.

I did a lot of volunteering while in Ottawa, which was for Hope Volleyball. They raised money for charities. We were setting up volleyball nets at the beach. I volunteered at the food bank, distributing food to those in need. I also picked up garlic at a farm, which raised money for charity. We also participated in group activities, watched a soccer game, gave group presentations, and took campus tours at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. My time at Algonquin College has solidified my interest in becoming a mechanic and welder after completing high school. I plan to apply to Algonquin College’s Automotive Trades program.

I encourage anyone considering post-secondary education to apply for NYA; it’s incredibly beneficial for learning about campus life, residence, and future educational opportunities. Being away from home can be challenging, but the experience is well worth it.

Qujannamiik,
Ernie Lyall

Hi! I am Cinquasha Smith, and I am from Whati, Northwest Territories. Whati is located 164 km northeast of the territory’s capital, Yellowknife. It is about a 3-hour drive.

During my time with the NYA Next Program, I accomplished many things. I could say I am experienced in different fields of trade. One of the many things I was able to do was a PLP (Personal Learning Project). I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d like to do. I thought it would be fun to challenge myself and do some things on the lake. However, when the time came, I did not want to be doing too many physical activities outside, as we were already doing things as a whole group. The heat here is also no joke!

My personal learning project initially involved rowing, but I later changed it to cooking. I attended a private Chinese cooking class with two other participants. I chose cooking because I enjoyed a culinary class we attended earlier this month, and it made me realize how much I love the culinary arts. During the class, we made three different dishes: bibimbap, bulgogi and spicy tofu stew. The class made me realize how easy it can be to make tasty meals in other cuisines with just a few ingredients. I was able to bring back printed recipes of each meal and will, most definitely, make them again!

I grew up watching my mom’s side of the family cooking. My mom, with six kids at the time, made homemade meals from scratch. Growing up, she would teach us to bake and cook from a very young age. Watching and learning how to cook delicious food had sparked in an interest in my siblings and I. Today, we continue to cook and also teach the younger children within my family how. I hope to continue cooking and also spark an interest in cooking for the younger generation, just as my mom did for us.