NYA participants Sky Kulluk (L) and Breana Mannilaq (R) share a laugh while learning to build a doghouse.
After a three-year hiatus, Northern Youth Abroad (NYA) has returned to Algonquin College. Inuit and Dene students from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories (NWT) are learning carpentry skills and getting a taste of college life throughout the month of July. On hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first NYA program at the College since 2019.
NYA is an Ottawa-based charitable organization offering programming in education, career building and community leadership to northern youth. They offer three core programs: the NYA Canadian Program, NYA Next and the NYA International Program. After completing NYA’s Canadian Program, youth aged 1622 are eligible to participate in NYA Next, which takes place at the College’s Ottawa Campus.
As the primary liaison between Algonquin College and NYA, Student Recruitment Officer Jonathan Holmes has been involved with NYA Next since its inception in 2016.
“I started working with NYA about 10 years ago. My best friend was one of the program managers and I would help them with first aid training. It got to a point where the students had a lot of questions about college and university,” said Holmes. “It kind of evolved from there and we developed a third level of the program called NYA Next.”
Students travel from as far north as Resolute Bay
Funded by the Nunavut, NWT and federal governments, as well as various northern community partners, NYA Next participants come to Ottawa at no cost to themselves. Living on campus in AC Residence, the students take part in various workshops, as well as volunteer in the community, gain independent life skills and complete a construction course at the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE). They leave the program with high school credits, career preparedness and the experience of living on a college campus.
“I meet with the students one-on-one, show them how to apply to college and tell them about college experiences,” said Holmes. “[NYA Next] gives them a chance to experience a bit of college and a bit of trades and do something very hands on. It shows them that they can succeed in different career opportunities.”
The students go to school Monday through Thursday for approximately three hours in the morning. They then have workshops and other programming in the afternoon and on Fridays. Culinary and martial arts classes have been offered in previous years, as well as personal training sessions. At the end of the month, students receive a light evaluation from their instructor and are given a certificate of graduation.
Along with their NYA Next schedule, students have the opportunity to share their culture with the AC community. Students have hosted events at the Mamidosewin Centre in past years, inviting the community to learn about Inuit traditions, culture and way of life in Nunavut and NWT.
Holmes is looking forward to connecting with the students in-person once again. He admires the dedication of the NYA team who work tirelessly to open up opportunities for northern youth.
“The individuals who run this charity have done so much work on sometimes fairly tight budgets. NYA operates with so much heart and so much hard work. The things they get done with limited resources is truly incredible and inspiring.”
To learn more about Northern Youth Abroad, visit www.nya.ca.