lakehead provides opportunity in nunavut for social work student

(june 21, 2012 - orillia, on) a desire to travel to canada's far north, coupled with the opportunity to be a front-line social worker, prompted amanda mclaughlin to embark on a journey that has changed her life.

mclaughlin discovered 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 's honours bachelor of social work one-year, post-degree program online and decided to apply for the program, a combination of classroom study and work placement in a compressed and intensive 12 months of study.

"i chose lakehead because orillia offered work placements anywhere," said mclaughlin, 28. "i was really looking for an opportunity to go north and this program opened the door for me to do that."

after spending her summer and fall terms in the classroom taking core courses and electives, mclaughlin spent her winter and spring terms in the field - in arviat, nunavut. arviat is a remote fly-in community, with a population 2,600 - one of the largest centres in canada's newest territory.

mclaughlin works as a community social services worker. "my main role is children's protection... but i've also done some adult services and counselling," said mclaughlin. "primarily, i am involved in the overall protection of children in the community, ensuring they are in a safe, healthy environment that will allow them to grow into their own person while remaining in their traditional culture."

her work in the remote community has been an eye-opener and much of mclaughlin's role has revolved around education and advocacy. "there's not an outright backlash, but a stigma about the social work profession is evident. we're trying to give people knowledge, and let them know that we're here to help and promote the overall well-being of individuals, families and communities, and not to break up families."

working on the front line has only heightened mclaughlin's ambition to land a full-time job in her chosen field. even though she is still just wrapping up her program, she says she has already applied for some positions in nunavut, such is her love for this mostly unknown part of the world.

"i'm really intrigued by the north; it's part of the country i live in, it's part of our heritage, yet it's a completely different way of life," said mclaughlin. "so few people get to experience this... that's why i was so eager to do it."

but there have been challenges. the snow is only now melting in arviat, where transportation is primarily by snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles. the remote community has just two stores, no pharmacy, no bank and no "social gathering place," she says.

"coming from a technology-based, fast-paced society, it's a challenge here," she said, noting water is delivered regularly, while sewage tanks are emptied every two days.

still, she is grateful for every experience - from being stranded in another community for two days due to fog, to experiencing blizzards that forced her to delay writing her online exams - to getting to know the people of arviat.

while most of her time has been devoted to working in the community, mclaughlin has gone on numerous land trips, including a caribou hunt and a trek over the frozen tundra to the tree line. "i went with some 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 on a nine-hour snowmobile trip to the tree line," said mclaughlin. "it was the longest ride of my life. but it was amazing. a lot of these kids rarely see trees, so we were literally hugging the trees."

in addition to meeting people and seeing the sights, mclaughlin has learned much about the life of the inuit people. she said, for example, learning their "iq principles" has helped shape her outlook as a teacher and social worker and, along with her code of ethics, has guided her work in the community.

"talking to the people who have grown up here has been really interesting," said mclaughlin, who said she will likely pursue a master's degree in the future. "they have amazing resiliency. the sheer knowledge and skill these people have is incredible."

"i am so glad lakehead gave me this opportunity," said mclaughlin, who grew up in napanee and graduated from the university of ottawa with a ba in criminology (and a minor in psychology). "it's been great for me."

cynthia clarke, the field education co-ordinator for lakehead's school of social work, said the program is a good fit for 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 who already have a three- or four-year undergraduate degree and have decided they want a career in social work.

"the program is intensive because they do eight courses before they do their placement, which is a 100-day assignment that takes place between january and june," said clarke. 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 have had placements on the east coast, throughout ontario and, of course, in nunavut.

this year, 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 's orillia campus welcomes another 60 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 into the one-year honours bachelor of social work (hbsw) program beginning july 3 with orientation. 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 are coming from the west coast and east coast of canada as well as many ontario communities.

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