Hi I’m Connie and my blog is about how strong I have become. I have been through so much pain growing up, but it has made me the person I am today. I have doubted myself in the past and said to myself “I can’t do it”, but this experience has made me more positive.

When the teacher told me that I got picked, I didn’t believe it at first. After advancing a bit further into the program, I still doubted whether I would make it through. A month before leaving, I thought “no it’s not happening they are going to kick me out and let somebody else in”. I thought I was going to quit or make a fool of myself.  Even though I had doubts, I still kept trying and had hope. Then, it was the day before we had to leave to Ottawa. I was packed and ready to go, and I still couldn’t believe it.

The morning came, and I was at the airport ready to go! When I got to Ottawa, I was so shocked and amazed- I couldn’t believe I was finally here! I saw trees outside the airport! Then 4 weeks later, I was in Nova Scotia, Truro, Bible hill at Deb and Carl’s house with Sharon. The first morning, Deb was shouting “girls get ready to go out because there’s famous people outside (I thought it was Selena Gomez!). Next thing I know, I was outside with the peace runners and held the torch flame and said to myself “ I want to heal myself and let go of the pain that I’ve been holding”. From that point on I realized that it’s okay to let go and that there are people out there that can help. I learned to look at the bright side of things. I am so glad I’m here, and thank you to everyone who helped me have this amazing and wonderful opportunity.

I really appreciate it!

Connie

This is not what I expected, but to be fair I did not know what I was expecting. The first week at camp was rough because it was so hot. You get used to the weather. You don’t think you would, but you do. After one week in Ottawa you travel to your host family, and they’re from all across Canada. I am in Bowen Island, British Columbia, in Western Canada. It is very nice here. Everything is so different from back home. For one , there are a lot of trees.

It is so beautiful here, and the people are so nice. Speaking of nice people, my host family is so nice and welcoming. They’re always telling jokes and making puns. They welcomed us to their home which I am very thankful for. I haven’t started my new work placement yet but I am excited. I wasn’t at first but I’m trying to keep an open mind about it. We get to do so much we don’t have access to back home. Almost everything is different. This is a great opportunity for Inuit youth. I don’t get homesick, but if you do get homesick there are a lot of coping strategies. Keep in mind that home will always be home, and it’s not going anywhere. You could do so much here that you can’t do at home. If you like to shop, there are a lot of places to shop. If you wanted to try something you always wanted to but don’t have access to it at home, you could probably do it here.

I encourage everyone to apply for this program. I love it.

Kulula

Hi, my name is Mackenzie Matto and I am 16 years old. I am from Fort Providence Northwest Territories and am an NYA Canadian Program participant.

I have been placed in West Vancouver, Squamish Nation, BC. For the past few weeks, I have been volunteering with the West Vancouver Community Centre, and have been working at camps around West Vancouver with youth. I help plan activities or just hang out with the youth. This program has helped me become more outgoing and confident. My host mom loves doing fun things and loves taking us to events. We have been to so many festivals and places in Vancouver. I really like it here and I’m sad that it’s almost time to go home, but also very excited, I would definitely recommend this program to youth around The Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as it’s an unforgettable experience. I have had such great experiences, learned new things, and gained work experience.
I have done so many things here and met so many nice and amazing people. This summer went by so fast and I am glad that I made it through the full 5 weeks of being away from home. This was an amazing and fun experience and I am so happy that I got to be a part of this program. Thank you to the NYA staff and to my host family for being there for me, letting me be part of their family, and also for letting me stay in their nice and welcoming home.

My summer has been great and a wonderful experience. I can’t wait to apply to the Next or International Program next year.

Mackenzie

Hi, my name is Allie Cookie I am from Sanikiluaq Nunavut and I am an International Program Participant for NYA. Northern Youth Abroad is an organization that allows youth from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories to travel and gain experiences through three different programs. The Canadian phase is where participants get to gain work experience in Southern Canada for  a total of 6 weeks. The Next phase is where participants stay in Ottawa for 6 weeks at the Algonquin College campus and explore post-secondary options. They build dog houses and make picture frames during their stay. Lastly, the International Phase is where participants get to travel outside of Canada and gain travel experience. I have done all the phases of the NYA program.

My blog is about the hiking that we did for 6 days. My hiking experience was amazing, and we had two very good instructors who motivated us to try new things. They were very nice and welcoming people and I can’t put into words how thankful I am to have this experience. During the hike we stayed at three home stays. The homes that we stayed in were very nice and the people were very welcoming. They also gave us very good coffee. We also got to rappel down a waterfall and that was overwhelming for me because I have never done something like that. At first, I was scared to do it, but in the end it was worth it! We also got to climb a tree and that was very fun because I have never really climbed a tree before. During the activities we did, I told myself that I can do this, that this will be worth it, and that everything will be okay. I pushed myself to do things I have never done so I can cherish the memories I made with my fellow participants.

I saw so many interesting plants and animals that I have never seen before. Costa Rica is very beautiful and the most amazing land I have seen so far. In general, the hike was hard and challenging but definitely worth it. I am more and more grateful to have hiked the rain forest of Costa Rica. I highly recommend this program because you learn a lot and make memories with new people. I am excited to finish the International Program.

Allie

My experience with the Outward Bound hike was amazing! The first day was a little hard on us because our group leader hurt her knee, but thankfully she’s fine now. We walked 5km in 7 hours to get to our first place we stayed. The next day we did a 5-6 hour hike to a homestay and ate some of the most delicious food I ever ate! Nothing compares to my dad’s cooking though. The third day we went to a waterfall which was so refreshing because it was a hot day. Then we made candy from sugar canes which was so good! The fourth day we hiked to our third home stay which was about an hour and a half walk from the last one and when we got there we showered, swam in a river close by then later we made banana and chocolate bread. On the fifth day we ate breakfast and had the bread we cooked the night before then hiked to a ecolodge ,and later that evening we walked around and saw some frogs then headed to bed.

The sixth day we hiked for 16km in 7 hours which was an amazing improvement from the first day, and then we got to the town of Manuel Antonio and cooked supper and chilled for the rest of the day. The eighth day was super fun because we got to go to the Manuel Antonio National Park and went swimming for about three hours, then on the way back we saw a baby sloth which was super cute! After that, we drove back to the first outward bound base then got to do some much needed laundry. The last day of the trip was one of my favourite because we got to zip-line which was amazing because I was going super fast. After zip-lining, our instructors brought us back to UWC to end the trip.

This was truly a life changing experience and I’m so thankful to have had the chance to participate in this program. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed pura vida!

Oliver

Hi, my name is Alaasua Audlaluk and I am from Grise Fiord, Nunavut.

I am 16 years old and this is my first year as a participant with Northern Youth Abroad. I volunteer at the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre with my buddy Jaylene Ukpatiku and she is from Baker Lake, Nunavut. We help set up and take down with programs, go to the parks with the youth, and generally check in with our supervisor to see what tasks needs to be completed on that day. I love my co-workers because I like how humorous and enthusiastic they are.

The host family I am staying with for 5 weeks is very kind and welcoming. They do not have any children, but my host mom does have a niece and nephew that come visit her that we haven’t met yet. They have a cat named Bartleby, which I was nervous to be around at first, but now I am comfortable around her. I even cuddle with her sometimes.

My buddy and I have done a lot of activities, like camping with our host mom the first weekend we arrived to St. John’s and we also got the chance to go to a powwow. It was our first time at a powwow! We also went for a nature park and some animals I saw for the first time were a snowy owl, strigidae owl, bald eagle, frog, and a moose. We went shopping and we got our nails done and on our way back home. We went to an indoor trampoline park with Kira (NYA staff) and it was both mine and Jaylene’s first time at a trampoline park. We also went up to Signal Hill and got to see all of St. John’s. It was raining the time we went up but it was still a beautiful view.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Alaasua

Hello my name is Shannon McPherson and I am a Canadian Program participant with Northern Youth Abroad. This summer I have been placed in West Vancouver, Squamish Nation BC. For the past four weeks I have been volunteering in art and explore summer camps. Each week I learn something new- whether its painting, going on adventures with the kids, exploring the city and nature, or just learning from each kid. I’ve come to love Vancouver and the different cultures it has to offer. Also, seeing all the dogs and friendly faces makes me feel at home.

My summer goal was to learn my way around my host community, which I achieved and I am quite happy about. The summer is almost over and it makes me sad that I’ll be leaving soon. I’m also very happy to go back home to tell my family and friends about the great summer I’ve had. The highlight of my trip was hiking up a mountain which I cant remember the name of, but it was an hour away from Squamish BC. It was so pretty at the top, and seeing the other mountains and lakes is something I won’t forget.

There were a lot of challenges this summer, like being so far from home, having to learn my way around a new place, and getting homesick. I am glad and very grateful I had my host mom to make me feel better with the car rides we took and the talks we had. Most importantly, just being there for me when I had wanted to give up and go home was a big support. I am very blessed to have gotten this opportunity. I would like to say a very big thank you to the NYA staff for making this program happen every year. You are all the best and I am happy I have been chosen for this great experience. Thank you for reading!

Shannon

Hello, my name is Eli. I am 15 years old and this is my first time as a participant with Northern Youth Abroad. I have really enjoyed this experience and being away from my community. At first, I spent a lot of time relaxing and meeting new people. I also had to figure out the bus schedules to know what bus I needed to take. 

I didn’t even think living down in the south would be so hard!  When I want to have some alone time, I walk the dogs, and enjoy seeing beautiful different kind of trees, and other different stuff that is different from Nunavut. The time is going by so fast because I’ve been working from 9-4pm every day Monday to Friday since July 9th! 

The people around Windsor are very very nice and kind. When I first got here, I noticed how  beautiful and stunning everything was! At first I didn’t really like the water, but I got used to it.  I am so glad that I came here. There is about 2 and a half weeks until I am done with this program, but I might be applying for NYA Next, next year!

Eli