'I know that your part of the country is in very good hands.'

KUUJJUAQ – Junior Ranger Louisa Tookalak helped elders in her home community of Puvirnituq. She cleaned up the local co-op store, played sports and improved her sewing and hunting skills along with her parents Elisapie and Qalingo Tookalak.

For her efforts, Tookalak was among 51 Junior Rangers to receive a Duke of Edinburgh award from Brigadier-General Christian Barabé July 2 at the 2007 Okpiapik Junior Ranger camp near Kuujjuaq.

"Canada is yours to make and I know that your part of the country is in very good hands," Barabé, the commander of Quebec's military ground forces, told the 170 Junior Rangers at the annual Okpiapik camp.

This year, 17 Junior Ranger patrols from northern Quebec and the Lower North Shore took part in the Young Canadians Challenge, the Duke of Edinburgh's self-development program for young people aged 14 to 25.

Out of 109 Junior Ranger participants, Nunavik's junior rangers received the greatest number of awards at the camp, a total of 22: 11 from Puvirnituq, five from Quaqtaq, four from Inukjuak and two from Tasiujaq.

Barabé said he had encouraged Junior Rangers to participate and was proud to present the awards.

"I was told that I was a fool to try the Duke of Edinburgh Award with Junior Rangers, but our success rate is so high that the whole world is going to be looking at you now," he said.

Two members of the Young Canadians Challenge board of directors, recording artist, music composer and producer Steve Barakatt and explorer Bernard Voyer, said the Junior Rangers were a great inspiration to their community.

In order to qualify for the Young Canadian Challenge, youth must complete a certain number of hours as community volunteers; improve their overall fitness through regular sports or physical activities; and develop new skills, talents or hobbies. And they must participate in an overnight outing.

Junior Rangers who enroll in the program receive a record book that they fill out, with the help of a Ranger, to keep track of their progress over the months as they move closer to their goal of obtaining an award.