Youth Mentorship For Tourism Program Produces Another Champion

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October 17, 2018

 

“Through this program, I had the chance to learn a lot of important skills from a lot of great people, and put those skills into practice every day.  I would encourage more youth to get involved to get ready to succeed in the tourism business, and have a lot of fun in the process. I know I did!”

- Angel-Rose Betthale, participant in Youth Mentorship for Tourism Program

 

Angel-Rose Betthale’s passion for new people, new experiences, and sharing her own culture was bound to lead her to the NWT’s growing tourism industry.

Her dream is to one day open her own tourism business and thanks to a tourism mentorship made possible by the Department of Industry Tourism and Investment (ITI), she’s one step closer to being ready.

Learn more about ITI’s Youth Mentorship for Tourism Program

Her three-month mentorship was spent working under Matthew Tibbles — manager of Fort Simpson’s Visitor Information Center (VIC) and the Village of Fort Simpson.

Hands-on Experience

 Angel identified advertising, business management, program development, and long term planning as her areas of focus.

She spent much of the summer shadowing Tibbles — getting hands-on experience with the day-to-day operations like the marketing, customer service, and scheduling essential for every tourism business.

The mentorship term also saw Angel step out and run her first tourism-related workshop.  She chose to share her talent for Porcupine quill beading. Five happy attendees left her workshop with a stunning set of quill beaded earrings. It allowed her to practice organizing, promoting, and executing a great event — all vital skills for a successful career in tourism.

The nature of Betthale’s placement at the Fort Simpson Visitor Information Centre offered a unique opportunity to learn from and work closely with several licenced operators around the Dehcho.

With sit-downs with local businesses like Tah-Chay Adventures and other local operators to make sure their businesses were well-represented at the Visitor’s Centre, Angel got a great idea of what the realities are for tourism operators.