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. 

Thank you for reading! 🙂