Leaving home

is sometimes hard to do, but I have no regrets for doing so. I like to travel and experience new places, but I know that I will always come back home eventually.

I was 14 when I first left my family and friends in Aklavik. My parents gave me the option to move with my sisters who were attending the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon more than 1400 miles away from Aklavik. They figured this experience would give me a better education and more opportunities.

This move caused many changes for me to adjust to. Saskatoon had a much larger population of 205,000 people compared to small town Aklavik, with its population of about 800. It was the first time I lived away from the security of my parents and home community. I found I was the new kid not only in school, but I was also culture shocked by the city and its whole different way of life. I wanted to just quit and go home, but I was raised to try my best and to finish things I start. Besides, how would you know if you liked something or not, unless you tried it? So I toughed it out and stayed. At the end of that year, I successfully completed grade 10, made many new friends and was happy I did not quit.

By Bobbie Jo Greenland

I spent a few years gaining work experience at a variety of jobs after high school and college. I liked my work at the Gwich’in Renewable Resource Board the most. I worked with the Environmental Knowledge Project and became active in conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd.

I was soon appointed as the alternate board member for GTC on the Porcupine Caribou Management Board and jumped right into the politics and education awareness efforts, to defeat US Government attempts to open the Caribou Calving Grounds in Alaska to Oil and Gas Development.Activist work led me to travel frequently to almost every state in the USA, making presentations to various Groups and meeting with political figures in Congress and Senate.

I also worked with the elders in the communities, documenting their traditional knowledge and stories. I learned a lot from them and they played a huge role in my decision to leave home again in order to get a University Degree.

Having the opportunity to be part of the Environmental Knowledge Project was worth taking a break from my studies. In June 2005, I applied for the Circumpolar Young Leaders Program (CYLP) and was accepted. I left Canada last September to begin a 6- month internship at the Indigenous Peoples Secretariat (IPS) Office in Copenhagen, Denmark. The CYLP provides Young People in Northern Canada with training and work experience in other Countries. I encourage the young people in the North to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to them. Working at IPS office has allowed me to build my network with people from all levels of Government and International Organizations. These experiences have also given me the opportunity to share my culture, while learning about other cultures around the world. While I do encourage Academic Education, I definitely endorse that our young people find travel and work experience opportunities for themselves. I think such opportunities will enhance their leadership skills and personal development.

My appreciation for the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit cultures motivates me to work for the promotion, recognition, preservation and wise management of issues such as Indigenous Rights, Culture, Wildlife, Environment and Sustainable Development. I would like to do what I can to help improve the lives and future of our people.

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