Hello, my name is Shavanna Oogark and I am from Kugaaruk, Nunavut.

I am placed in Ottawa, Onatario. My work placement is at The Canadian Nature Museum and my work is a lot of fun. To be honest I was nervous about my job because I knew there would have been people who spoke french and I didn’t. But I had another worker from here Ottawa Ontario who speaks french, her name is Lisa. I have loved working at The Canadian Nature Museum, as it is a very different job compared  jobs I have had in my community.

My host mom is very generous, kind, caring and beautiful. She helps a lot when she can and is simply an amazing person who accepted my buddy Charmaine Putulik into her house for the next 5 weeks. She has friends who are from Ecuador who live with her parents. Her parents names are Stand and Judy Wolanski and Their names are Carlos, Lula & Flavia, along with their daughter Flavia who is 7 years old and full of joy!

The difference between Ottawa and my community Kugaaruk Nunavut is that there is so many different stores to shop, farmer’s market, malls, clothing stores and much more. The population is much larger than my community. There is so many different jobs available for youth in Ottawa unlike in my community. There is a lot of bugs and different types of pets too in Ottawa, as well as the plants here are different than my home.

I have done so many adventures here in Ottawa and went on 2 different road trips so far. The first one was to Montreal Quebec for a day trip and toured the Bell Center where Montreal Canadiens play! I also went on another road trip to Petawawa Ontario with a high school teacher of mine. My teachers name is Lindi Andrews and she showed me The Army Base. In Ottawa I also went to a light show in a tunnel with my host mom and buddy, different malls, and zip lining! I also got about 5 teachers who live close to Ottawa to come here to see me for a dinner, which was great.

I did two presentations about my home community and territory which went great. I gave gifts I got from my Member Of Legislative Assembly named Emiliano Qirngnuq. They all loved the brand new pens as a gift I gave them after the presentation.

My time in the south was hard at first. I got homesick here and there but it eventually got better after I made a few friends at work which made me feel better and love my work even more as something to look forward to everyday at work.

I hope someone someday who has the same host community, work placement and my host mom Kari Wolanski enjoys every minute of their time here in Ottawa. It sure is very hard at first being away from home on your own, but trust me it get a lot better each and everyday.

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity! Thank you for having the time to read my blog.

Hi, my name is Branden Hardisty and I am 17 years old. I completed the Canadian phase of NYA back in 2016 and this year I am in the Next program. In the Next Program we stay at Algonquin Collage in Ottawa where we learn all sorts of things including construction and building. During the construction class I learned how to use tool and machines and built a dog house. We also got to learn about healthy living, nutrition and physical activity. Also in a few weeks we’ll be going to Montreal for sigh seeing before we head back to re-orientation. We have engaged as volunteer doing a service learning project, participated in fun activates around Ottawa, and competed a personal learning project which is based on our career interests. I’m really excited for my personal learning project as I am going to take Spanish lesson as it has always been a goal for me to learn another language. We also went camping which I had a great time at. The program has really helped me prepare for the next steps after high school. I am glad I got the chance to be apart of the NYA program again this year and I hope the rest of my summer goes well.

Hi everyone, my name is Kat and I am currently with on the International phase of the NYA in Costa Rica which is so beautiful and pure. The saying of Pura Vida is really true to its word “pure life” “good life” which is a beautiful saying here in Costa Rica. The adventures that we go on are always different and new which makes this experience so much fun. The other day we did a presentation to the Canadian embassy in Costa Rica everything went really well.
The first week we were here it was pretty hard to believe that we were actually in Costa Rica as it took awhile to actually feel like I’m in a different country.

This week the group is going to be volunteering our time with an non-profit organization called “lifting hands”. It was a lot of fun working there as we go to help with the kids and played some soccer with the locals. It was very interesting because the boys only spoke Spanish but we eventually understood what was going on. I’m looking forward spending more of my time volunteering.
It’s been about 3 weeks since we got here in the next few days we’re going to be on a 13 day hike which is going to be intense although I’m excited to be more connected to the land.
Being here in Costa Rica makes me want to fully learn how to speak in Spanish.I’m looking forward on finishing this international program with everyone that’s on the team and have a memorable experiencing to look back on!
Pura Vida.

Hi my name is Sadeedi Gargan. I am from Fort Providence and I am 16 years old. I am a 2017 NYA participant in the Canadian program. My experience down south has been awesome. I get to do stuff that I don’t really get to do in my community.

My host family is so awesome! They take good care of Matt and I, and ask if we are ok! There so sweet! I am having such a great time with them. They always have some fun activities to do in Belleville. I am so grateful that Billy and Maggie took Matt and I into their beautiful home! You da best!

My work placement is in a thrift store called Salvation Army. My work placement has been great so far, I met some interesting new people. At my work, I help sort clothes and other stuff. Some days I go upstairs and help the lady’s in the kitchen by cutting up vegetables and clean up for them!
My co workers have been really great to me asking if I’m ok and if I had my breaks! They are all so nice!

The activities I mostly do in Belleville include walks with Billy, Maggie and Monty, going skateboarding, going shopping at the mall, and working outI try to go out as much as possible and this Saturday I am going to a foam fest which I am so excited!

I am loving it here in Belleville and I am also really enjoying myself this summer, making new friends and memories! I am having a great experience so far and I can’t wait to here about everyone else’s!

Hi, my name is Patricia Wedawin and I am in the International phase of Northern Youth Abroad. This year we are in Costa Rica and it is beautiful. The trip from Ottawa to Costa Rica was very long, but worth it as we saw San Jose from above and it was breath taking. We seen waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing shores, miles and miles of big green trees and mountains. We met our tour guide, Jimmy, at the San Jose airport and he showed us a little part of San Jose shortly after settling into our place at United World College.  The next day we had to leave to CIRENAS which is a centre that creates transformative connections between people and the environment through education, research, integration and innovation. We travelled by a ferry, then walked on a beach to CIRENAS for an hour and a half while a vehicle had our luggage. You could imagine what we felt, mesmerized by the waves and salt-tasting air. When we arrived at CIRENAS, we were welcomed with loads of food and water and a natural kind of juice with electrolytes in it. Then the group spilt up into cabins, one for the boys, another for the girls, and all three chaperones in another. We then had an introduction to the center and a lecture about Costa Ricans, who are called “Ticos”. Then we ended our night at the beach watching the sunset while swimming, which was my first time swimming in an ocean. The sunset was the most beautiful one I have ever seen. We had a horseback riding tour the next day through Hacienda Ario to explore the sabanero way of llife at Nicoya Peninsula. We’re having a great time learning so many new things about Costa Rica and also about each other. Some are already fearing the goodbyes we’re going to have to endure at the end of the program. But we’re looking forward to our next adventures at United World College.

Laila at Orientation in Ottawa, on Nunavut Night

Hi, my name is Laila Onalik and I am from Kimmirut, Nunavut.

I am placed in Glencoe, Ontario. I work at a daycare centre called the ELM Children Centre. This work placement is so much fun. To be honest I didn’t want to work with children, but I’m glad I was placed here, working with children. They enjoy me working here, I love them and the children and workers love having me here. I enjoy throat singing and singing for the children in Inuktitut although they don’t know what I’m saying. It’s fun. My co-workers are very heart warming and welcoming, we all have built a great relationship together.

My host family is very welcoming and comforting. I have 2 host siblings, Danielle who is 11 and Michael who is 10. They enjoy that I am staying with them. My host parents are awesome and fun, they treat me like their own. They have hosted students from Europe and France before, to learn English, and this is their first year hosting for NYA. They are very generous and amazingly kind!

Things here in Glencoe are very different from my home town. The price of food is lower, the weather is overwhelming – the humidity, the rain and thunderstorms. Glencoe is a small community. It’s quiet and the people all know each other, but the population is way different than home. There is about 2000 people in Glencoe.

I have done so many things so far. The week I arrived here my friend picked me up for shopping and we went to London, Ontario. I loved it! About 2 weeks ago we all went to the Toronto Zoo for the day! I had so much fun, I got to see some animals I have never seen before. My favourite animal there were the Pandas!! After the zoo we picked up a student in Toronto. Her name is Marie, she is here in Canada to learn English.

At my workplace I made some bannock for the staff and children. They all loved it, only because I made it like my aunt does (lol). It was their first time and they enjoyed every bite of the it; made me feel great!

We did a road trip too, to Niagara Falls! It was amazing to see one of the world wonders, I love it there. Those falls are a must see, it’s so beautiful and overwhelming. I had so much fun. We also went to this place called ‘Ripley’s believe it or not’ it had odd things but it was fun. We ate at a rainforest café, it was cool, felt like a real rainforest! I also went to the best place for chicken wings in St. Catherine’s, the wings were amazing!

My time down south has been a roller coaster, an amazing opportunity and life experience. This program opened my eyes, I can say I have stepped out of my comfort zone. I made it this far and I’m not giving up! I hope to be joining the NYA next program, next year. I encourage other Nunavummiut to apply – it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you for taking your time to read!

Dallas posing in Squamish

My name is Dallas Sassie and I am from Fort Liard, Northwest Territories. I am 16 years old, and I am a participant of NYA Canadian program, where I get to experience life in southern Canada for five weeks.

My host family is Ken who watches us and his son Justin. They have two cats and a really nice house. The view is really beautiful where we stay and they are fun to talk to, caring and supportive when we are homesick, they take good care of too. Sometimes we have wild raccoons come by, the mother and her four little cubs when they are hungry.

I am placed in Squamish BC, and my workplace is at Greg Gardner Motors, where I volunteer and gain experience on how to repair vehicles. I sometimes work in the parts department where I stack parts that get delivered and watch technicians repair vehicles. The best part is that I got to meet everyone working in the shop and some of them were soccer players, so we get along well.

It gets dark around 10 here but it’s twenty-four hour daylight in my hometown. Squamish is a good place to get a good experience about life because they have a lot of shops, cafes, and services where people could get jobs and the people are friendly here too.

The people in Squamish aren’t to different from the North, we all respect each other, and we all love our family and friends. We both have strong ties to the native culture, and Squamish is strongly influenced by Vancouver.

When we arrived to Squamish we went to the restaurant A&W. Then we went to Whistler which is 40min drive, to watch a movie at the theater. We watched the new Spider-Man movie in 3D, and I got a chance to see my friend in Whistler, we hung out for a while, and went to the swimming pool.

This is the first time I’ve worked at a car dealership. I have worked in the parts and services departments and learned how to deal with professional people. I am grateful that I participated in the NYA program, and that I get to meet so many people along the way and make many friends like Delainea, Matt, and Seth. I also have got to learn about other people’s culture and this is a great opportunity to get experience on living south. It has been the best summer.