Inspiring internship broadens horizons

By Brian Wright-McLeod

BKEJWANONG— McKenzie Dorn, a young Anishinaabe man from Bkejwanong (Walpole Island First Nation), travelled to Colombia through the International Aboriginal Youth Intern Initiative (IAYI) sponsored by the Canada World Youth Pathways to Indigenous Youth Leadership Program funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Dorn spent four months as an intern in Sogamoso, Colombia, through the IAYI Initiative in early 2019. He worked with a local mentor to build cedar strip canoes and paddles made from reclaimed wood. The project conveyed a strong focus on environment and culture.

However, the challenges of being immersed in a Spanish speaking community were eventually overcome.

“I don’t speak Spanish,” he said. “But the people were very welcoming and helpful, even if it meant learning English themselves and teaching us Spanish. But we eventually managed to communicate with each other.”

The day-to-day lifestyle was revealing.

“Everything was family-oriented. On weekends, there would be family dinners with anywhere between 14-30 people,” he said. “The host family took me in, and now I have 54 new family members in another part of the world.”

He noticed a distinct work ethic among the people.

“Everybody there works so hard doing as many jobs as possible in order to make the most income as possible,” he said.

He also overcame the issue of creating woodwork without the benefit of using machinery common in Canada.

“We had to construct different machines for different purposes,” he said. “We did a weeklong project to create a sharpener for the blade for a wood plane. Creatively, I worked independently to create canoe paddles. Some were traditional and others were modern to work in different types of water or canoers.”

Dorn also explored artistic techniques.

“I learned pyrography, which is burning designs into the wood,” he said. “And I was allowed to bring a paddle home with me that took weeks to make.”

The environmental aspect made a clear impact.

“We went into some crucial areas of the water system to clean up garbage and help restore some of the areas such as the forests and river systems at peril,” he said. “We built the canoes to show that non-petrol forms of travel were a good alternative.”

He also uncovered the impacts of globalization.

“What really hit home for me was the Colombian government being bought off by different international corporations for access to natural resources,” he said. “It was something I never thought about before until I was made aware of the situation.”

Dorn underlined importance of the IAYI program where learning about international development.

“It can be anything from gender issues to environmental sustainability. I found what I want to do in my life and build a plan for my future. Travelling internationally is an eye-opening experience and to live within different cultures,” he said. “I’m inspired to learn other languages and cultures, travel more, and to pursue my own dreams in engineering.”

Dorn concluded, “I think Indigenous youth in Canada should take advantage of this program because it’s such a rare experience that changes your world view.”