Natural Resources program changes student’s life

Gull Bay’s Sherry King enjoyed last year’s First Nations Natural Resources Youth Employment program (FNNRYEP) so much she came back for another session.
“I came back for more training,” King said. “It’s become very useful — soon I will be doing firefighting, my S100, which I will take next year.”
King plans to continue on with firefighting and other natural resource work opportunities in the future.
“It’s changed my life completely,” King said. “I’m taking life more serious, getting an education.”
Now in its 13th year, the two-year FNNRYEP program is held for First Nations youth aged 16-18 during July and August in a field camp setting by the Confederation College Natural Resources Centre.
Twenty first-year and six second-year students from 17 First Nation communities attended a number of training workshops at the Natural Resources Science and Technology Camp at Confederation College in Thunder Bay during the week of July 30-Aug. 3.
The program offers First Nations youth a safe, structured and predictable work environment so they can gain a head start in securing employment in the natural resource sectors. It also promotes secondary and post-secondary education to attain those goals.
The program includes tree planting, firefighting, first aid, chainsaw training and brush saw training.
Rocky Bay’s Rena Onakanakis enjoyed the program as well.
“It’s interesting learning something new everyday, meeting new people,” Onakanakis said. “The program’s awesome.”
Onakanakis feels the program may help her towards her future goal of studying to be a marine biologist. She plans to pursue her postsecondary education in Calgary once she finishes high school.
The students learned about aquatic insects, ecosystem health, soils, land use planning, geographic information systems, water treatment, environmental monitoring, career planning and forest management planning and inventory during the camp.
“With the continuing demand for skilled workers in the forestry and mining sectors, it is extremely important to have programs that provide youth exposure to the many types of careers available and the education and training required,” said Jim Madder, president of Confederation College.