Preparing for the Canadian Placement (November to June)  

NYA applications are available in Nunavut & NWT schools and community centres in mid-October. In early winter applicants will be interviewed by telephone. Candidates are then selected to participate. A number of “alternates” will be selected as well in the event that participants withdraw from the program.

In early February, participants begin working on a series of program specific assignments with the help of a mentor in their respective communities. These assignments prepare participants for their volunteer summer work placements in southern Canada and count towards the Career and Technology Studies high-school credit CTR1010 - Job Preparation.

The Canadian Placement (July to August)

In late June, participants travel to southern Canada. Prior to the six-week volunteer work placement, all participants gather in Ottawa for the NYA Orientation where they spend five days learning about group dynamics, self-reliance, health and safety in the work place, and on-the-job skills. Participants will meet important role models who live in Ottawa, normally including the Governor General of Canada. Participation in these sessions count towards a Career and Technology Studies high school credit, CTR1210 - Personal Safety Management.

Following the NYA Orientation, participants travel in pairs to live with their host families and begin their volunteer work placements. Pairing the youth serves to build a support system for the participants as well as to promote lasting friendships and networks between the youth in Nunavut and the NWT. This is a unique and vital aspect of the NYA program design developed in direct response to the high attrition rate among northern youth who ‘go south’ to college or university. Completing volunteer work hours can earn participants up to five Career and Technology Studies high-school credits as part of OTH2998 - Work Experience.

Return from Canadian Placement (September to November)

This part of the program cycle helps participants integrate the new skills and experiences they will have learned into their lives in the North. Before returning to their home communities, all participants gather in Ottawa again for a reorientation session. Participants have the opportunity to reflect on and document the changes they experienced over the course of the program. Each participant will be expected to prepare a presentation on their experience and the lessons they have learned and present it to their community, family, and friends. Returning participants will have a clearer sense of who they are, as well as their own interests, skills, and career objectives. Reorientation activities and assignments count toward a final Career and Technology Studies high-school credit, CTR2010 - Job Maintenance.