Paddling the Wake of Our Ancestors
Twelve Métis youth from across Ontario are on a journey of a lifetime following the old fur trade route of their ancestors by the waterways. Over the course of 86 days they will be canoeing across Ontario, starting in Ottawa and ending in Kenora, and paddling approximately 2,200 kilometers. Along this incredible journey they will be stopping in several communities to share their experiences and pass along their knowledge of Métis culture. The great outdoors are a classroom and workplace for these youth where they will gain several skills through experiential learning. Prior to the launch of the expedition, paddlers received three weeks of extensive training where they obtained their wilderness first aid certification, white water training and cultural training. They participated in several safety workshops, many team building activities and developed extensive knowledge about Métis way of life.
Alex Young and I, Melissa St Amant, are the two Communications Assistants for this year’s Canoe Expedition. Rather than sitting in an office and staring at a computer screen like most communications jobs, we have the pleasure to work all over Ontario in a canoe, in random coffee shops, on the road or at the edge of a dock. Our tasks include coordinating events with local communities, posting our journey on social media, capturing photos and videos and sharing our experiences with the media and through our website and blog posts.
Prior to this job I obtained an undergraduate degree in communications studies at Wilfrid Laurier University and a certificate from Fanshawe College in the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program. I have a passion for the outdoors and I consider the Metis Nation my second family. When I came across this job posting I thought it was a dream come true because it fit my personal and educational passions so well. Words cannot express how grateful I am for this amazing opportunity.
Alex is also incredibly excited to be a part of this journey, and is still in awe that he can actually spend a summer doing this as a real job. Having worked in design and communications roles for the last three years, Alex felt that the role of Communications Assistant was an ideal way to lend his skills and experience to the Expedition team. Alex holds an undergraduate degree from McMaster University in Integrated Science with a concentration in Biology — neither of which make people think ‘communications and graphic design’. Nonetheless, during his schooling Alex was able to develop the skills he needed for working in the field through freelance work and extracurriculars, and is looking forward to combining his passion for design and communications with his undergrad and love of science as he starts his Masters of Science in Biomedical Communications this fall at the University of Toronto.
Along the journey with our paddlers are two highly experienced guides who both share a passion for the outdoors. Zack Kruzins has spent several years instructing long leadership expeditions for different outdoor education programs and has travelled to exotic places all over the world to guide sea kayaking trips. He has also spent a great deal of his life on the waters of Lake Superior which led him to co-author a paddling guide book for the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. He has formed a deep connection with Superior and was very excited to hear that this year’s expedition will be spending a lot of their time paddling its picturesque waters.
Our other guide, Jesse Yacoubov, also shares a strong connection with nature and his future goal is to be an educator that helps connect young people with wild places through first-hand experiences. Jesse holds a degree in Environmental Studies and a diploma in Outdoor Education and Adventure Education. Over the past decade he has spent his time travelling and adventuring throughout Canada which is where he gained the utmost respect for the natural world.
One of the most crucial aspects to keep our expedition organized is the grounds crew team. Claire, Emily and Justin are the glue to the expedition that keeps everything in line. They are in charge of booking campsites, ensuring the paddlers don’t go hungry, following along the canoe with vehicles when needed and organizing anything that needs to get done around camp and on event days. Fortunately for us, Emily is an amazing fiddle player and will be fiddling for us as we jig along our journey. Emily was involved in the 2014 Canoe Expedition as a paddler and hopes to make sure everything runs a smooth as possible this time around as a grounds support leader. All three of them are excited to be a part of this year’s expedition and can’t wait to see more of Ontario than they ever have!
