My name is Des Beaulieu and I am from Inuvik, Northwest Territories. NYA’s Canadian Program has given me the opportunity to experience life in the South for five weeks. I have been place in Port Alberni to volunteer full time at the Friendship Centre.
My host parent have two daughter and a beautiful home. They also have three cats, a dog, and a fish. I don’t have any pets back home so it’s a nice change. My host family has experience living in the North, so it’s cool to talk to them about it once in a while. We’ve been to many places on Vancouver island so far such as Nanaimo and Ucluelet, along with Mclean Mill, and camping at Mussel Beach.
Working at the Friendship Centre has been a great experience overall. The culture, the people, the land, are all amazing. I had a change to help out with the Culture Camp at Qualicum Campground and it was really nice to see how many people showed up, helped out, and had fun. I did one of my presentations there and it wasn’t as scary as I’d originally though it would be. The people in the circle were welcoming and respectful. This positive experience with public speaking helped a lot and has made me more comfortable for my next presentation and something I’m looking forward to.
On my first day, I worked in the Out of School program with a couple of the summer students. There were about 20 kids and this daycare was used to having about seven as the most when it first started. Working with children isn’t my forte, and I din’t think I’d make through the five weeks if I was going to work in the daycare everyday. Thankfully, after speaking to my supervisor, he understood that I didn’t work well with children and would rather be in more of an office setting. Since then I’ve been helping with the morning parenting programs, preparing meals, and working in the office in the afternoons. The people at the centre have their own little quirks and mannerisms that make working in the office an enjoyable place to be.
My favourite party about doing volunteer work here in Port Alberni is learning about the differences in culture and lifestyle, talking about eh similarities, sharing stories, and just connecting with different people.
I would definitely come back to Port Alberni one day. It’s a wonderful place and there’s a lot to do in or around the community. I’d recommend NYA to anyone in the North who is interested in gaining experience living and working in Souther Canada.
