Hello, my name is Quinten Ross and I’m one of the 2023 NYA Next Participants. I’m from Hay River NWT which is located on the southern shore of the Great Slave Lake. I’m 19 years old and identify as Metis.

NYA Next is a Program designed to help youth from Northern Canada adjust to post-secondary life in the southern regions of Canada, here on the Algonquin College Campus in the Ottawa area. I am a Northern Youth Abroad Alumni as I participated in the 2022 Canadian program, where I stayed in Squamish BC with a host family and volunteered at the Squamish Public Library. That program helped me adjust to living abroad, I feel that it prepared me for the Next program by giving me skills and teaching me how to cope with living away from home.

I’ve been here in Ottawa a few times already, but I still found myself nervous at first not knowing what to expect during this month-long program, but I knew I would regret not going so I chose to go through with my plan of completing this program. It also took a lot of support and encouragement, I think that without close friends and mentors cheering me on I wouldn’t have come, but I’m glad I decided to come to Ottawa.

Another thought that motivated me was this idea that there’s so many opportunities to learn and grow, and I have. Here in Ottawa, we stay at the Algonquin College Campus where me and the other participants take a constructions/shop type of class – so far, we’ve made small step stools and doghouses; the dog houses are going to be donated in Ottawa. This class has made me comfortable with the different machines used to cut the wood, I’m also proud of myself knowing that the work is going to a good cause which is helping dogs.

On Monday’s we’ve been on two university tours which were at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University and we also went on a tour of Nunavut Sivuniksavut which is a school focused on Nunavut land claims and culture; later in the afternoon we would take a cooking class with a chef at Algonquin College, the first class we made chips and dip, the next class we made cookies, and our last class we made mini fluffy pancakes from scratch.

Our weekly schedule is very busy, aside from the classes we take we also do volunteer work in the area, so far I’ve volunteered at the Ottawa Mission where I helped with dishes and I also got to Volunteer at the H.O.P.E volleyball charity event taking down the volleyball nets at Mooney’s Bay Beach. I enjoyed volunteering at the mission and talking with the staff and dedicated volunteers who were very polite, it’s nice getting to know people and their motivation for doing the amazing work and very inspirational. The beach here is very warm so I didn’t enjoy that as much, I prefer the cold driftwood beaches back home.

Another good thing about this program is getting to learn about other cultures, I got to go with the group to the Lebanese Festival where they had a stage with performers kind of like a normal Music festival but with a focus on the Lebanese culture – we also went to the Asian Night Market near Parliament Hill, I liked this because I got to eat some Onigiri and dumplings, later I went to lay in front of parliament hill in the grass which was nice because the views were beautiful.

Getting to learn more about Nunavut and the cultures there has been cool, the participants from there have been very friendly and good company always sharing new words in Inuktitut with me – I’ve also had many opportunities to share what I know about the Metis people, I made sure to include lots of information in a presentation I did with the boys and girls club and I also enjoyed teaching the other participants the Red River Jig and sharing the history.

I enjoy taking the bus because it gives me time to reflect on the program, I’m glad that we mainly used buses to get around because it was also a great opportunity to see the city – also to get used to long commutes. I think my favorite memories from this program will be the hike I led through Pinheys forest trail and laughing with the other participants every day. I’m going to miss everyone; this program has really helped me find myself again and to just grow.

This program has been fun, as chaotic as it can get at the end of the day, I was very proud for challenging myself despite my want to go home. I know that whatever the future brings this experience will be something that I can look back on as a reminder of my strength and resilience. Huge thanks to my supporters and the NYA staff for always listening to my rants and for your kindness.

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Quinten