Broadening Horizons

Over the last year, funding from I&IS allowed students from various communities throughout the NWT to travel to Calgary, Halifax, New York City and Rotorua, New Zealand. The students participated in range of conferences, camps and seminars that exposed them to new educational and career opportunities.

In mid-October 2007, Bonnie Koe and Autumn Semple, high school students at Moose Kerr School in Aklavik, participated in the International Network for Indigenous Health Knowledge and Development (INIHKD) Conference in Rotorua, New Zealand. The INIHKD conference provides an opportunity for people working in the areas of traditional health, service delivery, research, policy and workforce development to meet and talk with other members of indigenous communities that support continued indigenous health development.

As part of their Careers and Technology course, Autumn and Bonnie participated in a Youth Dietary Choices project which was coordinated by Amanda Clarke of the Arctic Health Research Network (NT).

Bonnie and Autumn interviewed local community members, elders, staff and students and recorded their daily diet information. They then analyzed the data, examined the impact of health information and funding on the dietary choices people make and presented their findings in a report and short video. “It was very interesting to assess our own community's dietary choices and we saw a very big difference in diet choices between the elders and the youth,” said Bonnie.

During the conference, the students learned a great deal about the different health concerns of other indigenous groups in the USA, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. “We came away understanding how important it was for indigenous people to network and share ideas to strengthen health services,” explained Autumn.

Participating in conferences, seminars and activities focused on education, encourages students from across the North to broaden their horizons. The opportunity to travel, exchange stories and information with people from many different backgrounds and countries and to share these experiences with the community helps to create an understanding and appreciation of the bigger world around them.