Twelve students were chosen to represent the school on a reciprocal stay youth exchange run through the YMCA of Greater Toronto on behalf of the Ministry of Heritage.
As lead organizer, I chose students who'd benefit from this unique experience and at the same time contribute to the venture in a meaningful way. Many of them had not travelled outside Mississauga before.
We did our final attendance check on the icy tarmac of King William Island, near the Northwest Passage. After a two-day journey, we arrived in Kugaaruk, Nunavut, where we were greeted by excited Kugaaruk students and sleds hooked up to snowmobiles. We arrived to sign-waving, cheering community members outside the school.
Our exchange began in earnest as students spent the day on frozen Pelly Bay eating Caribou stew and watching igloos being built. The elders shared details of the past to the great interest of both our students and the Inuit children, many hearing the stories for the first time.
A strenuous climb to the top of a mountain overlooking the hamlet provided a beautiful, panoramic view. The students slid all the way to the bottom after taking photos of the magnificent landscape.
A community dance rounded out a full day. Supervisors danced to music of the '70s, '80s and '90s and, later, the students shared dance moves to their favourite music. The friendships and bonds created were among the best features of the exchange.
We planned to head out on the land, but were thwarted by a two-day blizzard. The freezing cold and blowing snow made us realize how challenging living here could be. While the weather raged outside, we enjoyed indoor activities such as carving, painting and Inuit sports.
Finally, the weather cleared and we left for our overnight excursion. The student empowerment project was dependent on getting out on the land and was a key focus of our exchange. We planned to conduct research on climatic conditions through direct measurement and discussion with Inuit elders.
We boarded sleds with everything required for arctic survival. After several hours travelling over the tundra, we arrived at our campsite in the heart of Caribou territory. Our students learned the importance of keeping warm by eating and drinking plenty of food. It took convincing for some students to "enjoy" raw seal for lunch. They more readily enjoyed the caribou stew and Arctic Char.
The brave souls in the igloo realized the importance of proper construction, as snow drifts appeared across the sleeping bags when they awoke in the morning.
The adventure was educational. Even more importantly, though, it gave students an appreciation of the need to rely on one another and of the immense beauty and ruggedness of our country.
Our sad farewells were tempered by the fact that we have the return leg of our exchange to look forward to this month. We want to give our Kugaaruk friends an equally "cool" experience in Mississauga.
Paul Officer is YMCA coordinator at Hillside Senior Public School in Clarkson and acting principal at Owenwood Public School.
