Students from Waterloo Region swapped city streets for Arctic tundra this spring as part of a cultural exchange program that connected them with a remote Inuit community in northern Quebec. The trip marked the second half of an exchange between St. Daniel Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener and Sautjuit School in Kangirsuk, Nunavik. Students from Kangirsuk first travelled south to Waterloo Region in November before local students made the journey north this spring. When students from St. Daniel Catholic Elementary School landed in Kangirsuk, they were greeted like celebrities. “They were banging on the windows so hard that, to be honest, I thought that they were going to break because they were all just so welcoming,” said Veronica Debreczeni, a student at St. Daniel. The exchange program was designed to immerse students in each other’s cultures and day-to-day lives while building long-term relationships between the two school communities. During their stay in Nunavik, Waterloo Region students took part in traditional Inuit activities, including sewing, tool making and land-based learning. “They got to try different types of food, such as walrus, beluga, ptarmigan soup, fresh fish that were caught on that day,” said Joseph-Mina Louka, a teacher at Sautjuit School. For many students, one of the biggest takeaways was seeing how different daily life can be in the North. “We usually walk, bike, take a bus or get driven to school. But they’re on ATVs and Skidoos,” said Victoria Cranford, a student at St. Daniel. Students also noticed the high cost and limited availability of everyday goods in the remote community. “The toys you get at the Dollar Store, they’re like $20 there. And like the Pop Tarts, four Pop Tarts are like $20,” Debreczeni said. School supplies are also more difficult to access. “It was a shocking difference that they only get supplies three times a year,” said St. Daniel student Amen Agonafer. Students from Kangirsuk said they were equally excited to share their traditions and culture with their southern visitors. “I was excited to teach them how to make headbands and snow pants,” said Sautjuit School student Nadia Augiak. “We made bannock, and they loved it,” added student Luis Jr. Nungak. Despite the distance and cultural differences, students said the exchange revealed how much they had in common. “I talk to them mostly every single day by Snapchat,” Augiak said. Jennifer Ritsma, superintendent of learning with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, described the experience as transformative. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ritsma said. “I’m still, in my brain, unpacking each day something from that trip.” Teachers involved in the program hope the exchange will continue in the years ahead. “I am so determined to keep making these opportunities available for our students,” Louka said.
