My name is Pearlie Mae Howard and I am originally from from Rankin Inlet, NU. I am currently living in Cambridge Bay, NU. I graduated high school in 2017, and afterwards I jumped from job to job until I went back to Rankin in December of last year.

I did my Canadian phase last summer and had the opportunity to travel to Chilliwack, BC. During my 4 weeks there I volunteered at a Summer Day Camp, which is always fun for me because I enjoy working with youth and young adults. This year I was selected for the NYA Next, where I stay in Ottawa for the summer, and room with 16 other participants at the Algonquin College Residence. During our time here we present our Territories to a few groups here in Ottawa and also are presented to by aboriginal groups and other organizations like “Let’s Talk Science.” We also get the chance to build things in a pre trades construction class.

The first couple of days we settled into residence and after we were all unpacked and settled, we got the chance to check out a nice beach across town. The next day we toured the Parliament building and got to learn some interesting facts about the old building. That same day we went to a mall, which was obviously fun for me because i very much enjoy shopping. During our first week here we registered for a construction class and did a bit of study hall. 

After that we had a bit of free time to relax. The next few days after that we spent being introduced to our construction class. We worked on building a picture frame and by the end of the week we finished them off and started on our dog houses. By the looks of it so far it’s going to be pretty huge! We also had the chance to visit another campsite with Southern Aboriginal youth and elders who were willing to show us their traditional knowledge, songs, and even dances. NYA Next got to work on presentations of our Territories to present to Jaku Kombit, a summer day camp with children who didn’t know anything about the people up north. It was great that we had the opportunity to show them our language, culture, even some games and songs.

NYA Next is a great program that allows youth to travel down south to showcase our traditional knowledge and language and also meet different aboriginal people from the south. To the youth who are reading my blog now, I hope you choose to apply for this amazing program you will get a lot from being here and also it will allow you to give back to the people who know little to nothing about our Northern territory.

Hi I’m Diana Williah and my experience so far being a part of the NYA Next Program has given me an insight of how the “college life” is. From getting to class on time, to navigating my way around on a bus in a new city, and setting my own bedtime! In the short two weeks that I’ve been here in Ottawa, I have finished orientation at the Macskimming Campgrounds while the heatwave was going on. I can definitely say that was an accomplishment of mine! It was also great to bond with the other other 15 participants in the program. During this time, we got to know each other a bit more. Even though I knew half the participants from the Canadian phase last year, it’s still always nice getting to know new people, which is a plus.

This week, we started our construction class which will last for another two weeks. We built a picture frame; and I’m glad to say that I was one of the first students to finish it. Next week we will be building a dog house. What a cherry on top! We also had the opportunity to do a presentation in front of other people which we did yesterday in front of a bunch of 6 to 12 year olds. We have to do three in total and I think we did pretty well in our first one. Overall, my experience so far has made me excited to attend college when I’m ready. Hopefully by the end of this program, I will be shaped into a more prepared college student. Having more experience in the city will help me transition better into moving away from my family and home.

Hey, my name is Matt Kanayok. I’m eighteen and from Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. I was first involved with Northern Youth Abroad last year as a Canadian Participant, where I was placed in Belleville, Ontario. This year I am in the NEXT program. This means that I along with other youth from the North get to experience post-secondary life at Algonquin College for a month.

It was hectic for me at first to adjust and come to the conclusion that this was what the beginning of the rest of my life away from my home and family would feel like, and I really wanted to go home the moment I hit that realization. Luckily, I have good friends here and supportive group leaders that kept me on the right track, and have since then started to enjoy my time in Ottawa!

After settling in we had a tour of Algonquin College, and I was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people everywhere (I‘m coming from a town of 450), but regardless I enjoyed it. My favourite tour was the one we had at Parliament Hill where I sadly did not high-five Trudeau. Overall, I had a great time learning more about Canada’s history and the meaning behind the architecture of the building (The statue of Victoria? Amazing).

We also started our construction class and I thought I was going to be terrible at it because I’m not good at anything related to math, but I actually did pretty well (I hope). We’ll start our construction of dog houses after a weekend camping trip, so I’m looking forward to that.

Anyway, I’m enjoying my time so far and I’m excited for the rest of the summer!

Sincerely, Matt

Hello everyone! My name is Xavier.

The first thing we did when we got to Ottawa was go to the Macskimming Camp and stayed there for a week for orientation. After the orientation we got to the Algonquin residence where we will be staying for the next five weeks. Then we will be going back to Macskimming.

I am enjoying my time here because we are learning how to make a picture frame, and then we will learn how to make a dog house. The picture frame we are making is very hard but it is good to be learning. It’s hard because there are a lot of instruction to follow. When I made a mistake I had to start over to make a new one. I learned that you need to do it perfectly to make the frame look very nice

We got to tour Parliament and my favourite thing about it was the history behind it and the art work that is in the building. I got to learn a lot of different things like that the first female was elected in 1988, and I got to see art work that represent the Inuit. It was a structure with two Inuit trying to kill a polar bear. These are the things I learned at Parliament.

These are the things that I have experienced and am enjoying  while taking this program and here in Ottawa. This is the best opportunity for youth in northern communities because its an opportunity for youth to experience living in a city.

Hello, my name is Shannon Green I am from Paulatuk Northwest Territories and I did the Canadian program in 2016. I am loving it at Algonquin College, being here and experiencing this life changing opportunity is a great challenge for me, but I believe I can handle this. It makes me feel grateful and thankful towards everyone that has worked so hard and is working so hard to get us here and inspires us to go further then this. I think it is within us to want more for ourselves in this life.

I am so thankful to myself because I too have worked very hard to get here and to push myself for wanting this challenge. I am so happy to be here with everyone- I have another NYA family I love how we can all be ourselves and how caring everyone is. Some may be quiet but we can only inspire them to be comfortable enough to get out of their comfort zones. I’d like to thank everybody for this amazing opportunity. Quyunaini.

I started the NYA Next Program in Ottawa last week. During the orientation, I learned that I can step out of my comfort zone. I was also introduced to the entire Next group and we got to know each other! What I liked about orientation was that we all the programs (Canadian, Next, International) all got together and we got to meet each other. During orientation, we took part in sessions, learned, and did assignments. I am currently staying in Algonquin College for around 5 weeks. My roommate is Megan from Hall Beach, Nunavut.

I also got to tour Parliament Hill with the Next group and it was my first time inside! I also went inside the Government of Nunavut building. My favourite thing about Parliament Hill is the library , because not many people get to see it as it is private. I learned so much about the Parliament Building’s history. After that, we went to shop for a bit.

During the weekend, we went to the beach and had so much fun. I learned how to float in the water. The sand was very hot and burned my feet a little but after a while I got used to walking on it. On Tuesday, we started classes and the first thing we are making is picture frames. After that, we will get to make a dog house. I’m enjoying the class. Since I got to Algonquin College, I started to get up early in the morning by myself. We practised our presentations about Nunavut and the Northwest Territories for a couple of days to the other participants and everyone seemed to love our presentation which made it a great experience. I was surprised that some people don’t know about the north and kids had so many questions about the north and were adorable. My favourite thing about this week is the presentation and the beach. I had so much fun.

I am so appreciative that I get to take part in the Next program and learn how to be at college in the south and take care of myself. I’m gaining more confidence, independence, and having new experiences. Next is a very amazing program! I’m enjoying every second of this summer, This is a great opportunity. Thanks for reading my blog!

Hi! This is Annie. I am having the time of my life at Algonquin. This is definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had so far in my eighteen years of life. My NYA family is very supportive, and I can count on them to make me feel better if needed. I’ve only had one bad day, but that was not anyone’s fault but my own. During our week in the city, we have gone to the beach. Some of my friends and I have gone on what we like calling “adventures” to different stores. We explored around the Rideau Centre going up and down the escalators. One of the other participants and I went to a dress shop to look for a new summer dress. We were there for a while, up until we saw how much they cost. One of the dresses I liked costs over $200. We could not afford that, so we calmly walked out. It was my first time swimming at the beach, and feeling the sand burning my feet. It was really fun and I learned how to back stroke without my arms. We’re going camping this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. I overheard the leaders talking about s’mores!

My favourite memory so far has been going to the Giant Tiger. We went as a small group, as the leaders had let us gone alone. It really was like an adventure. First, we tried going to the bus stop everyone trusts, only the realize there was one way closer to the campus. During the bus ride there, everyone was laughing. We all rushed over, but somebody forgot their bus pass! He had to run all the way back to campus and not miss the bus. Two of them went to other places while the rest of us went in the store. After a while, I saw the video game section that was in a small corner. While everyone was shopping, I sat down and looked at all the games and DVDs. I hadn’t heard them, too engrossed in what I was looking at. Once I got up, there was an employee pointing at me saying “is-is that her?” Shannon and Stanley never trusted me being alone ever again. I find it really funny, they thought I had left the store and wandered off. I blame their bad detective skills. 

The classes we have are very fun. The one we all know best is shop class. Our teacher Doug has an iconic saying. We say it all the time jokingly: “nice and easy”. I swear if you were to hear it, it would never be the same. I am forever grateful for programs like Northern Youth Abroad. It helps out way more than I had originally thought. That’s about it for this blog post. I hope you had fun reading, and goodbye!

3,2,1 … The Countdown Is On!

Only a few days until Orientation! Starting Tuesday and up until Friday, Participants will be leaving their home communities in the North to travel all the way South to Ottawa. Staff will be waiting at the airport to welcome the 2018 Participants to the NYA family. Participants will travel to Orientation, where they will spend the next week meeting friends, adjusting to the South, and learning everything they will need for their adventure ahead! Before we know it, Participants will be on their way to their final travel destinations – from four different provinces in Southern Canada, Ottawa, and Costa Rica.

Each Canadian Program Participant has now been paired with a Buddy and a Host Family, from Host Communities that span from British Columbia all the way to Newfoundland. After months of planning, we are happy to announce that we have secured the Participant Volunteer Workplaces for all of the Participants! These Work Placements will not only allow Participants to gain high school credits, but will give them the opportunity to gain real work experience and to connect wth their Host Communities.

We are also getting ready for the Next team that will be staying at Algonquin College in Ottawa! They will be staying in the college residences and experiencing what it is like to live on a post-secondary campus. The Next Participant Achievement Coach has been hard at work to make the Next Program as beneficial (and as fun!) as possible. The Next Program has a lot in store for Participants this year!

Last but not least, the International Program is ready for Costa Rica! NYA is partnering with local organizations United World Colleges, Outward Bound, and CIRENAS. The itinerary is fully loaded and will include volunteering, hiking, cultural learning, and a few fun excursions along the way. We are making sure that the Participants are ready for a few weeks in the jungle by gathering hiking boots, headlamps, backpacks – just to name a few! The International Group Leaders are excited to meet their Participants at Orientation.

Interested in keeping updated this summer? Be sure to follow all of our accounts at: Facebook.com/NorthernYouthAbroad ~ Instagram @NorthenYouthAbroad ~ Twitter @NYANewsfeed

Here at NYA we are gearing up for another exciting summer! With Participants arriving next month, we are very busy but equally excited for the months ahead. Read below to see what’s going on this summer.

Orientation

With almost month until Participants fly into Ottawa, we can’t wait to meet them all and welcome them to MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre for Orientation. During this one week long camp, the Participants will engage in facilitated training sessions covering a range of topics including: communication, problem solving, and conflict resolution. These sessions provide Participants with the skills necessary to build positive relationships with other Participants, their host family, and their volunteer work placements.

Host Communities

We have selected our Host Communities for the Canadian Program this summer. These communities are where our Participants will call home for 5 weeks. The Participants will be volunteering in their host community and will have the chance to explore their home away from home. A big thank you to all of our Host Families for dedicating their time and efforts in supporting our youth!

International Program

NYA’s International team is returning to Costa Rica this summer! We are partnering with United World College, Outward Bound, and Serenis to give our International Participants a very rewarding travel and cross-cultural learning experience. Participants will spend 6 weeks contributing to local volunteer initiatives and engaging in cultural exchange. Activities completed will include: engaging in service learning workshops focused on conservation and permaculture; completing inter-cultural workshops with local NGOs; and taking part in experiential land based excursions.

Next Program

NYA Next is heading back to Algonquin College this year for more goal setting and achievement, educational opportunities, personal growth, cultural awareness and career preparation! Participants will be staying in the Algonquin Residences while completing a constructions and trades course and volunteering. They will also be completing individual Personal Learning Projects and will be going on group out trips like camping.

A Special Milestone

This year NYA is celebrating a very special milestone. At the end of the summer, NYA will have over 500 Alumni! On top of the over 5000 high school credits awarded, over 75,000 volunteer hours completed and 65 Alumni bursaries that will be awarded after this year, that means that over 500 Northern Youth will have successfully completed one or more of NYA’s core programs. We are so proud of all our Alumni and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.