THUNDER BAY - Work can be fun too.
It’s one of the many lessons that the graduates of the First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment Program gained from their six-week program.
And as the graduation ceremony unfolded on Thursday, and the level of camaraderie between participants culminated, it seemed to be the most important message.
“Everyday - it didn’t even feel like work, it just feels like you were with family,” said Shaylyn Lands, a 17-year-old from Eagle Lake First Nation.
“It’s just a positive team of youth.”
Lands was one of 47 participants representing 27 different First nation communities in the program. The six weeks of work and training were designed to expose youth to career paths and help prepare them for post-secondary education.
Students were trained in a wide variety of areas such as first aid, firefighting, tree planting, and even learned about the impact of water filtration.
Lands said the camp has guided her on a path towards the field of firefighting.
“What inspired me was that feeling of empowerment, and adrenaline, and working together with a positive team,” she said.
Lucas Rioux-DePerry, 18, called it one of the best summers of his life.
“In the past summers I was just hanging in my room playing video games,” he said. “[The camp] was an eye-opener.”
More than the training itself, Rioux-DePerry credits the camp for helping him grow and flourish.
“I wasn’t that social, I considered myself inside my shell. I really wanted to come out of that and gain my professionalism.”
After two years in the program, Rioux-DePerry will now go into the Kinesiology program at Lakehead.
‘It’s crazy what the kids have done afterwards,” said program founder David Bradley, who has seen over 400 graduates since its inception in 2000.
“Most of them will refer to the program as a life-changing event for them. It gives them that confidence, and the empowerment to move forward with their lives.”
