The writing in this publication was collected over the four-month period of the New Horizons Skills Link program, and reflects the tremendous vitality, innate sense of self, and endless sense of humour of the ten participants, whom I had the pleasure of working with from March to June, 2007.
Skills Link is a Service Canada-funded program that, thanks to the hard work and initiative of the Inuvik Youth Centre, was realized for the first time in Inuvik, Northwest Territories this year. Additional support for the New Horizons Skills Link program was provided by Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and Gwich’in Tribal Council. The program was designed to serve unemployed Aboriginal youth looking to re-involve themselves in their community. We received an incredible amount of support and encouragement, and over the four months of the program the youth learned from the generous educators, professionals, and elders of Inuvik.
Just as programs like Skills Link are opportunities for youth to learn from their communities, the creation of this publication is an opportunity for us to learn from them. I want to sincerely thank the Adult Learning Knowledge Centre for helping to give these youth a national voice. I would also like to thank the ten youth who were brave enough to use it.
Johanna Skibsrud
Program Coordinator