Each summer, tourists from all over the world flock to Squamish for hiking, biking or simply for the views.
But for the past month, Squamish has been hosting two special visitors that are spending their summer vacations doing more than just sightseeing.
Adam Nadli and Stanley Mackenzie, from Fort Providence, N.W.T. and Ndilo, N.W.T., respectively, are spending one month in Squamish as part of Northern Youth Abroad’s (NYA) Canadian Program, volunteering at local work placements, educating Squamish residents about life in Canada’s far north and, of course, exploring their temporary turf. NYA is a charitable organization that provides travel opportunities and skills development to Nunavut and the Northwest Territories youth aged 15-20. The program has proven to be successful, with about 85 per cent of the program’s alumni going on to graduate high school – a far higher proportion than the territorial average of 35 per cent.
“Evaluation has shown that participating leaves participants more motivated to finish high school and go on to post-secondary, provides insight into their future goals, and increases their confidence,” said NYA executive director Rebecca Brisson.
This year marks NYA’s 19th year of programming, as well at its fourth summer placing program participants in Squamish.
“Squamish is an ideal location,” said Brisson. “We look for communities that have a rich offering of things to do and see and a range of volunteer work opportunities for the participants. We avoid very large centres as most participants are from isolated communities of fewer than 1,000 people.”
Nadli and Mackenzie, both of whom arrived on July 7, are staying with Squamish resident Ken Perry. This is Perry’s fourth year hosting NYA participants.
“Host communities are selected based on where we select host families,” explained Brisson. “Host families are vital. They provide a supportive environment where participants can grow and learn. Many participants experience significant homesickness and culture shock and the family is what provides a way to deal with this.”
Nadli is volunteering at Canadian Tire’s auto centre, while Mackenzie is volunteering at the HotSpot Community Resource Centre. These full-time work placements aim to help program participants learn new skills, while providing an opportunity for northerners to explore potential career paths.
In addition to their placements, Nadli and Mackenzie are each expected to deliver presentations to their hosts communities about life up north, as well as complete a few assignments – including a scavenger hunt – to help them connect with their host community.
But it’s not all work and no play for the pair. “They have been doing a lot of sightseeing, and enjoying the outdoors,” said Brisson. “Both have been going to the gym. They have also travelled to Vancouver and plan to visit Whistler.”
“Both seem to be having a great time,” she added.
Although stepping out of one’s comfort zone is never easy, Brisson said this process provides a significant boost in each participant’s confidence.
“Imagine you have never been on a bus, had a bank account, or lived somewhere where anyone is a stranger,” said Brisson. “It’s a huge adjustment. Through this very supported placement we help build resilience and the belief that they can do it. Also through travelling away from home, participants gain strength in who they are and where they come from, and what they want for themselves and their communities.”
