Indigenous youth spark interest at Fort McMurray welding camp

How's this for a summer camp? Instead of sunglasses and swim trunks at the lake, there's safety goggles, overalls and fountains of molten sparks.

Fort McMurray's Keyano College is hosting a four-day welding camp this summer for studentsfrom First Nations and Mtis communities around the Wood Buffalo region.

Randy Chernipeski,who is with the Northland School Division and assisting with the camps, said the program is a specialsummer experience for most youth.

"Students don't get as many opportunities to do this," Chernipeski said. "It's probably easier to get an opportunity in this part of the world especially in Northern Albertato do the camping and canoeing thing, whereas this is something out of the ordinary."

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The Canadian Welding Association Foundationhelps put on the summer camp that this week welcomed 19 studentsfrom the nearby communities of Fort McKay and Janvier, Alta.

The program lasts five days and the youth learn welding basics. Students are introduced to safety practices, welding symbols, various welding techniques and how they can get theirfoot in the door to a welding career.

They also get to spark up and melt some metal.

On Tuesday,day twoof the camp, students were already using torches and stick welders to makesticks to roast sausages on later.

'Always been interested in more hands-on things'

Tryston Morin, 13, said he chose the program over photography campand thought it was neat the trade opens doors to underwater welding.

"It pays a lot," Morin said.

Autumn Bent, 15, said she's contemplating a career in either welding or as a mechanic.

"I've just always been interested in more hands-on things to do rather than sitting back, relaxing in a job," Bent said.

Same thing for Caleb Lacorde, 15.

"I don't want to sit all day. Sitting in a room, you won't do anything," Lacorde said. "And if you are not doing anything you will lose focus and it will get you fired."

The program started as a pilot project in Edmonton in 2014 as a way of introducing kids aged12 to 15 yearsto the trade. The Fort McMurray camp is one of 35 camps across Canada this year.

KeyanoCollege,TransCanadapipelines, Cenovus, and the Northland School Division are also partners in the program.

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