YOUTH BRAVE RAPIDS 12

youth from all over the ISR region came together for the 3rd IDC Leadership Expedition. The mission: To paddle 320 km of the Horton River within fourteen days. The rewards: Friendship, confidence, and even a trip to Edmonton, where they got a glimpse of career and educational opportunities by touring companies and universities. Their teachers at school chose these youth in recognition of their leadership skills.

The trip was led by two instructors, John Lyndsay and Ginny Mainville. John said the youth was “a fantastic group to work with. There was lots of fun, laughing and games. When it came time to work hard, they were able to canoe for a few hours without taking a break, doing as much as 60km/day.”

Frank Wolki, the oldest at 18 years old, showed leadership qualities right from the start. He said, “The trip was all good, we learnt how to paddle through the rapids, and to work as a team. Amos here always starts the fire, he’s a hard worker.” He has plenty of experience from being on the land around Paulatuk, and guided others with the maps.

Frank said, “The first couple of the days were hard, and then it got easier. At first, we didn’t know how to paddle properly or how to go through the rapids. Amos Teddy said, “ Johnny Kaglik and I paddled around in circles for the first few days! I always told jokes to keep everyone’s spirits up when they felt down.”

Sherry Ruben said both the girls and guys worked well together. Jenna McDonald, who was nicked “The Boss” because she let her opinions be known, whether she was hungry, tired or cold, was appreciated for being the “mine canary” of the group. She said, “It wasn’t something I was used to. I’ve been on the land every year, but not as long as this experience has taken.” She does feel more confident, as did everyone else, as a result of this trip.

Virginia Kudlak too missed her family. “But it was fun!” she said, “I’ll always remember the paddling and the rapids. Make sure you go out there!”

Charmaine Elanik saw wildlife such as “a grizzly bear, muskox, ten caribou and a couple of goslings. It was pretty cool.”

Dolly Loreen kept everyone’s focused on the brighter side when things got tough, “I tipped quite abit but it was still fun. If there were lots of mosquitoes, I would say, well at least there isn’t a lot of sandflies.” She is excited to go to Edmonton, and happy that she’s “met quite a few new people!”