Lévis school welcomes Ivujivik students

A student from Ivujivik poses with firefighters from Lévis during his recent exchange trip to the community. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JOURNAL DE LEVIS)

Two students from Ivujivik demonstrate throat singing at the Guillaume Couture secondary school near Lévis. (PHOTO COURTESY OF LE JOURNAL DE LEVIS)

ERICK DESCHENES
Journal de Lévis

A group of Inuit student from Ivujivik enjoyed quite an experience earlier this month when they visited the Guillaume Couture secondary school in Lévis, near Quebec City, as part of that school’s annual exchange between students in its International Studies Program and a class in Nunavik.

“I love the weather. The temperature is good. It’s just beautiful here,” said Ruta Kristensen, an Ivujivik student visiting Lévis.

As for Davidee Iyaituk, he’s shared that sense of discovery experienced by most Ivujivik students in the South.

“It’s cool. People are nice and I was impressed by the Ultramar refinery. Everything here is really impressive,” he said.

For their part, students of the Secondary One class at Guillaume Couture noticed how things southerners take for granted can impress their Inuit friends.

“Like he saw my house, he just said ‘wow.’ There are only four people living at my home, and he said that wasn’t many because all his family, including his grandparents live in the same house,” said Julien, a high school student from Guillaume Couture who participated in the exchange.

That’s an impression also shared by Alexandra, another student in the exchange. “When they saw the [shopping malls] Place Laurier and Galeries Chagnon, they flipped out. Also, when they saw the trees next to our school, they tried to climb them, because they can’t do that in the Arctic, ” said the Secondary One student.

Despite the different environments where these students live, the exchange, established three years ago at Guillaume Couture, brings benefits for everyone, participants say.

“It brings a lot to both groups, and they develop more links with aboriginal people than they would otherwise. Our students rediscover nature in hearing the views of Inuit students,” said Claudette Hamel, Guillaume Couture’s program coordinator, on the reasons for the exchange and its benefits.

“It’s very nice. In this other environment, they’re fascinated by the activities, and at the same time they discover things not seen in North, like trees branches,” says Sylvain Serré, a resource teacher and chaperone for the Ivujivik class.

And even though the southern students’ journey north took place this past March, that experience left a lasting imprint on the International Studies Program’ students.

“The impact it has had on me, it’s hard even to explain. I changed a lot inside. I saw that not eveyone has the same opportunities. It’s really intense and I forged stronger links as much with students Ivujivik as with people from here,” Alexandra said.