Lennox Island youth try out different jobs in summer program
'Now I've seen that you can actually have a variety of things that you want to do'
It was the first time some Lennox Island First Nation youth had been on a working ranch — and it was an eye opening experience.
"If you try something new, it's usually pretty cool," said James David Bernard.
The kids are part of a five week summer work program called Pathways — organized and funded through the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. The confederacy also organizes similar programs in Charlottetown and for Abegweit First Nation.
Targeting students from Lennox Island between the ages of 13 and 16, Pathways provides work experience in a variety of jobs inside and outside their community.
"Pretty much a program that shows you a whole bunch of different things you can do in the future," said participant Aaliyah Lewis.
Lewis said the days spent in technology sessions were also an exciting part of the program.
From cutting grass to cutting edge
Shanna Sark, the Pathways supervisor, said the program was designed to engage the youth in other things and other places.
The student's 24-hour work weeks were comprised of different sessions, doing everything from using technology and science to more physical work, like cutting lawns and painting traditional colours on Lennox Island's telephone poles.
"We are just teaching the kids about employment what is out there, different jobs, just getting a grasp on a different perspective on things," Sark said.
"Some people have only one mindset on being one thing, like I use to only want to be a welder," said participant Daniel Clory.
"Now I've seen that you can actually have a variety of things that you want to do."
During their farm experience the kids made their way though seven different stations at the Grand River Ranch. The facility works with people to get them more involved with farm animals.
"We offer the program that is very animal hands on, horticultural, very much outside, very much utilizing what the individual a) enjoys and b) is good at," said Heather Blouin, who runs Grand River Ranch.
"When there are tasks that aren't as fun or as enjoyable or require teamwork, that offers an another entirely different opportunity to learn and grow."
For the youth pounding nails into fence posts and grooming horses, it was just another step down the path that could one day be a career.
"It's just a new experience and I never would have done this before and now that I have done it, I would do it again, over and over and over, it is so much fun," Lewis said.