YOUTH
NWT youth explore science during Expedition By Ella Kokelj This September, I had the amazing opportunity to spend a week living on a research vessel on Great Slave Lake. As a Field Instructor for Northern Youth Leadership (NYL), I helped lead a seven-day youth science expedition aboard the Nahidik, a research vessel operated by Arctic Research Foundation (ARF). There were seven youth and three NYL staff on board who took part in the program. The expedition was the result of a partnership between NYL, Nature United, and ARF. Our goal was to give youth from across the NWT opportunities to explore and learn about climate change, northern science, and potential career opportunities in a hands-on, dynamic way. I have always loved being out on the land. It’s where I can be the best version of myself and I am the happiest. I am lucky enough to have a job through NYL that allows me to share that love with others. I get to take kids out in the bush for extended periods of time and give them opportunities to build confidence and competence while travelling on the land. Growing up, I have had the opportunity to participate in various northern science programs. Initially, it was my parents who signed me up. Somewhere, at some point, these activities stopped being 36
things I had to do, and started to become things I loved to do. We boarded the Nahidik in Yellowknife and, over the course of the next week, travelled into the East Arm of Great Slave Lake. One of the main goals of the vessel’s science program was to retrieve a mooring at the deepest known point in Christie Bay. We watched the crew spend hours trying to find the long rope that went from just below the surface all the way down to the bottom of the lake, 614 metres deep. The youth were able to assist with taking
the data loggers off the mooring and download the data the loggers had been collecting all year long. Our time on board the Nahidik was full! The pace of the day was often dictated by what needed to be done on board the vessel. The lake is the boss, and we were there to learn as much as we could along the way. We had a mixture of crew‐led activities, programming that NYL staff had prepared, and time for youth to lead their own inquiries to explore topics that interested them. This variety helped all the
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