My name is Lawrence, I have come to Windsor Ontario just across Detroit City, the scenery is col. I am enjoying my time here in Windsor and I have been working with mechanical for cars.
I have been learning a lot of new things and tried different kinds of food.
My host buddy and I have been going around the city with bikes, and also, we go to the gym daily.
Everything is different down south, the only thing that bothers me is the heat.
The exciting part is living in the present and experiencing the reality of the south and meeting lots of nice people.
Life on campus is pretty cool. It is very different from home. First it is a huge place! The food is different as I am use to country foods such as arctic char, caribou, seal, and more. There are all kinds of people from all over the world which I find awesome because to them I’m from a totally different place as well. Another thing on campus I find interesting is that there are the amount of jobs offered here on campus that would be more than half of my home town’s population. Yes the jobs here on campus alone are pretty much half of how many people live in Gjoa Haven NU!
Experiences in Ottawa so far
My experiences so far here in Ottawa have been great! From going out of the biggest terminal I’ve been in, to volunteering in a place called the mission has been awesome! Right when we landed here I took a look around and thought of how awesome it is to see everything and not just form a photo on the internet but in person. Using public transit for the first time was quite nerve-wracking because I heard of stories how others got on wrong buses or got off on wrong stops. But it was fun because I had my NYA project Leaders and the other participants with me. My fellow participants and myself have started a culinary class where we learn and actually cook different things. We also started a construction class and are learning how to use various types of tools. Myself and a few other participants went to a homeless shelter/facility to volunteer, I was placed in the kitchen where I found out that I’m pretty good at cooking and preparing food. After that volunteer experience I thought of it and I think a chef is another career I might want get into.
Living in residence
Living in residence is pretty awesome! I love having my own space and I find it very helpful to have a room mate. Living here gives me the experience I will need for if I decided to go for post secondary after high school. I feel that the rooms are the perfect size for when you’re in school away from home most likely for the first time all on your own. Another cool thing is the centre square. The centre square is where there are different types of places you can get food and supplies all in the comfort of a short walk away.
One thing/activity I’ve attended
One activity I’ve went to here was a movie called insidious the red door. It was not bad and not going to lie a bit scary. I went because I’m not a horror movie fan and haven’t watched a scary movie in years and after seeing that movie I decided I’m good for another few long years. It was fun because I haven’t been to the movies in so long. I even forgotten how good the popcorn is at movies.
All and all I am enjoying every bit of my stay here so far!
In 2021 when I was 16 years old, my science teacher, Richard, told me to apply to NYA so I decided to apply. I was accepted but I couldn’t go because of the pandemic. I was disappointed but applied again in 2022 and got accepted again! I started fundraising April to June but only made $500, but the NYA staff were able to help me figure out fundraising ideas which made me so happy!
On June 17, 2023, in the morning, I went to Rankin Inlet in Iqaluit for the first time. I saw the airport and I was lost but met Cameron and Christa at an Iqaluit restaurant and we quickly became friends. When we went to Ottawa, I got to meet the NYA Staff!
Ottawa is very hot and has lots of traffic and bugs. I did my presentation in front of the NYA participants, we played different games, and then the adventure really began! I was matched with Taniki and we flew to Edmonton to meet our host family, Kit and Dave. We started to get to know each other.
Kit and Dave were very impressed with all my traditional knowledge and culture. I tried to teach Kit throat singing. I also tried to teach Kit and Dave how to speak Inuktitut, my native language. On the weekend, we went to Fred Broadstock outdoor pool, Queen Elizabeth outdoor pool, we went shopping at the big mall, and to get groceries. We got haircuts on our third day here and I chopped off so much hair! We went to the Farmer’s Market and rode scooters. Dave and Kit threw me a birthday party on Canada Day. We invited people from my work placement and had a big BBQ. We played games and had cake. I had so much fun.
This week we have appointments to get piercings and on the weekend, we are going to the Telus World of Science and maybe Fort Edmonton Park. I really want to go to another pool that has a water slide.
I have learned so much already, including how to ride the bus.It was really scary at first but I stuck with it and feel more confident. I have felt very welcomed by the staff at the City Arts Centre. Ruth-Anne is my boss and she is so kind. I am enjoying helping the kids with their art projects.
I am Alicia from Clyde River, Nunavut. I was placed in Milton Ontario. There are so many cars, trees, and houses in Milton. I have learned what a condo building Is. And I think it would be boring to live in a condo building because it is such a small space and so many people.
On my first week I was preparing for summer camp in Milton. My jobs included making banners and going to the stores for craft supplies. This week I watched the camp councillors to help with my training. Next week the plan is to teach some campers how to do beading. I will make earrings with them.
I swim every day in the pool. And I’m learning how to do hand stands in the pool. I learned how to play baseball by watching the Blue Jays play a game.
There are more bugs in south, and more stores. There’s a lot of constructions. More people, more schools. It is very hot in the summer. There are lots of parks.
I found Niagara Falls very exciting. It is much bigger than Clyde River waterfalls. It is much higher and more water falling over steep ledge.
There are many playgrounds and I like to sit on the swings and call with my friends. And there are bigger houses in Milton.
Me, I, am Jayden Kochon from Colville Lake, NT Canada. And I’ve been placed in Windsor, Ontario, which is the most southern city in all of Canada. So far, I enjoy this city a lot, it’s not a big city which I like about it. I do not like big, busy cities due to too many people. Windsor is a beautiful, hot, but quiet, relaxing small, big place. The sceneries around the city are beautiful. You just need to find them, and see the beauty in it to know.
There quite a few things to do here, but I haven’t really done a lot yet. I went to Devonshire Mall, which is a good decent sized mall. There are all the stores you can think of there. So if you like to shop, there’s a lot of great things you can buy there. There is also a lot of workout gyms throughout the city. Me and my buddy signed up for one called Planet Fitness. I would highly recommend it there. There is a lot of restaurants here, and a whole bunch of different foods. I tried so much foods that we don’t get up north, and all the foods I’ve tried so far were amazing!!!! I would recommend going out to all the interesting restaurants that you’re able to while in a city. Don’t ask questions, just do it. 🙂
I biked around the city a bit. Not all over, as I don’t know the city. But I biked to the Detroit River, I saw Detroit and it looks amazing at night. The lights of the buildings in Detroit look spectacular from Windsor at night. Not better than my home town though. 😉 It sure is hot here though. July is the hottest month of the year. I do not like the heat at all, as I come from the North pole. But other than that, I’m enjoying every moment here, exploring, learning, and trying out a different lifestyle.
NYA placed me at a mechanics shop, which is the best job they could’ve placed me at. The place is named Demario’s Auto Shop. There we do most things people want done to their cars/trucks, for example: wraps, car and truck painting, maintenance, and customs jobs. I have not worked in any place like this, and I’m learning a lot of new things about cars, and trucks that I didn’t even think were things. My experience here so far is AWSOME!!!
I tried goat for the first time, which was all right I guess lol. Very strange. I tried Indian food, which was very good because I love spicy foods. I also went to the gym for the first time, because we do not have a gym where I am from. But any who, it’s a great experience if you haven’t been.
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.
Hi! I’m Marcus Proctor. I’m from Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories. I traveled to Vancouver Island, BC, this summer for my Canadian Summer Placement. I did a 21-Day Sea-Kayaking trip with Outward Bound Canada.
The weather was amazing with mostly clear skies and hot temperatures. The plants and landscape were very different compared to home. The tall red cedars, mountains surrounding us, various ferns, bushes, and berries, created a surreal atmosphere. The beaches and forests are crawling with life. (I actually thought the rocks were moving away from me, turns out, it was just shore crabs trying not to get squished).
During the three weeks, we spent a week going around Kennedy Lake. Learning how to maneuver the kayaks, and getting used to camp-life. The last two weeks were spent on the ocean near Tofino. We went around Meares, and part way around Vargas Island. I learned a lot about myself in the way of emotions, feelings, and relationships I hold close. During the three weeks, I found that dietary changes and times that I eat were things that affected me. I had stomach problems for the first week and felt homesick, but for traditional food. Eventually, I adjusted. I had a lot of time to reflect on different habits, relationships, and how I want to go forward after this summer. I believe during these three weeks, I changed a lot mentally and how I view things are different.
I had a TON of new ‘firsts’ and experiences on this trip– First time traveling out of territory alone, checking into/out of hotels, almost losing luggage, first time kayaking and surfing, seeing/tasting the ocean, and seeing snails, slugs and crabs. Everything was overwhelmingly calming, I found satisfaction in navigating through these experiences by myself. It was empowering in a way.
During the first week of the trip, we were on Kennedy Lake. It was our 4th day, so we were still learning about camp dos-and-don’ts. Another participant and I were having a late-night conversation by the shore while everyone else was sleeping. When we got to the tent, we had forgotten our snack bags inside our drybags and decided to leave it there, instead of putting them inside the kayaks (to prevent smell and animals). About 5 minutes go by and we hear some sticks snapping behind us in the forest. We stare at each other in silence, listening to the bushes rustling behind us. An animal sniffed out our snacks and decided it was gonna come for a midnight visit. It didn’t come into the tent or try to get the food, but it got awfully close and proceeded to wander off back into the woods. Safe to say, we didn’t keep anything food-related near our tents for the remainder of the trip.
This program has impacted me in ways I am still trying to comprehend. It will be a memory I reflect on and hold close for a long time after. I would totally recommend doing this program, if you are willing to commit, participate, learn, and most importantly, are willing to change and share your views and opinions.
I would like to give a huge thank you to Northern Youth Abroad, Outward Bound Canada, Yamoga Land and Water Board, and my community members. This summer wouldn’t have been possible without any of these organizations and people. I’ve had the best summer, filled with many life experiences and a ton of great people from all across Canada.
I had the most amazing, wonderful time at the National Music Camp this summer!!! I had a chance to meet a lot of really cool people along the way that shared the same interests and passion for music. I learned many things throughout the program such as the basics of being creative with what notes to play on the spot during my musical improvisation elective, the different harmonies and vocal runs/patterns used for each vocal category (e.g. Tenor, bass, soprano, alto, etc.) to make a musical choir, as well as the different varieties of instruments used to make a song/composition sound the way it should and the different ways to make those sounds appealing to the ear.
During my 7 day program, we were placed in a camp about an hour and a half away from Toronto, in a town called Orillia, the program was held in a very vast camp full of really great activities apart from the musical experience, activities like a trapeze net, archery place and a couple basketball courts here and there. In terms of the camp scenery, it was beautiful!!! The camp had many different parts where you could just sit down and admire the clear blue lake and the huge green trees, as well as pathways to different areas of the woodlands near the camp itself.
The first couple days at the camp, I felt very isolated from the other boys In my cabin because I couldn’t relate to them as much as I wanted to or as much as the other boys could because of our differences in backgrounds and lifestyles, but as the days went by, I started to open up about where I was from and just opening up in general, we actually had a couple nights where we just sat down for hours talking about our feelings and just letting it all out, which if I am being honest, I don’t think I would have done without the help from the Canadian program. I got along well with everyone and I became so close with them, we are now all really great buds, each and every one of us!! We had so much fun together during the program, from the time we played baseball with a broom in our cabin, dancing to “careless whispers” outside, and singing Wonderwall in unison both in our cabins and even at the talent show. The boys of 43 (our cabin number) gave me so many great memories that I will never forget in such a short amount of time. The staff also did a really amazing job taking me under their arms and welcoming me into a very scary world I walked into for the first couple days, I am really grateful for that. They also did a really great job embracing our cabin energy and joined in on a couple of occasions.
I would fully recommend this program to anyone willing to put in the hours to better their understanding in musical education. I really enjoyed my time at this program and I would like to thank NYA for not only giving me the experience I thought I could only dream of in the Canadian program, but to go out of their way to make sure I enjoy the music camp as much as I possibly could.
I really appreciate everything NYA has done from the bottom of my heart. I also want to thank my fellow NYA participants, as they have taught me how to be a more open person and have been there for me while I wasn’t feeling great about the situations I was put into, such as being homesick or feeling like I didn’t belong, they gave me the motivation and encouragement I needed to keep moving forward and I could not thank them enough for that; but I want to most of all, thank them for giving me memories that will last a lifetime. These 2 summer programs that I participated in through Northern Youth Abroad will forever benefit me in ways I could not comprehend to paper in terms of my future. Thank you all for my best summer yet!!!!!
Hi, my name is Emerald Hatkaittuq and I’m from Gjoa Haven, Nunavut but I’ve been living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories since 2019.
I meant to finish my blog during my participation in the Northern Youth Abroad Next program but I didn’t. So, I guess I can say that I’m an alumni now, pretty cool. The goal of the Next program is to give youth from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories a chance to prepare for college and kind of get an idea of what a college student’s day to day life is like. Which I’m very grateful for because I got to experience what that is like with the support of the NYA leaders and fellow participants.
During my participation, we stayed at the Algonquin College campus residence in Ottawa. It was nice because College Square is right next to the campus, so shopping for clothes, snacks or going to Tim’s wasn’t a problem. We were placed in a construction class on campus from Tuesday – Friday where we got to build dog houses, including a picture frame. Outside of class, our schedule included assignments, sessions, workshops and volunteering. I got to volunteer at the Ottawa Mission where I cleaned and chopped vegetables but I left early because I ended up not feeling well. I did get to volunteer with Ottawa Riverkeeper where I got to pick up garbage at Centrepointe Park. If I remember correctly, they explained that the purpose of this organization was to prevent micro plastics exposure in the water and environment. It was actually fun, I’m hoping that I can do the same for my community as well. We also got to choose what we wanted to do for our Personal Learning Project, I chose sewing and art. A nice lady taught a few participants and I how to make a bag and properly use a sewing machine.
Other than that, we did get to explore the city during our free time. I got to go to the Rideau Center and Bayshore Mall, which I loved because I love shopping. We walked across the bridge to Quebec and saw the Canadian Museum of History. I got to see Parliament Hill, ride a double decker bus, and train for the first time. We also got to go to Buskerfest and Sound & Lights. My favourite was when we went to the National Art Gallery, I didn’t get to see everything because I stayed in the Canadian and Indigenous section where I got to see a lot of Inuit artifacts.
I loved every part of this program! If I could do it all over again, I really would. I think the highlight of my summer was during Re-Orientation. I got to climb the high ropes 3 times. The first time I only made it to the second last one. My second try, I made it to the middle and my third try I made it to the top! I was so proud of myself. A year ago, I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that. I also made friends with people I’ve gotten close with over the summer. I miss them a lot. You all have a very special place in my heart.
I also want to give a big thank you to the NYA staff for giving me this opportunity and for taking good care of us. Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.
