At first glance, Sonali Sivakumar looks like any other volunteer at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.

Clad in her orange shirt, replete with identification lanyard, she's either directing people where to go, taking their tickets or doing some cleaning.

But what people wouldn't know is that the 16-year-old Sir John Franklin student is one of more than two dozen youth from the NWT who are at the Games as part of the NWT Youth Ambassadors Program.

The Canada Games, winter and summer versions, are regular stops for the program and one that Sivakumar has relished since she arrived in Winnipeg last weekend.

SA国际影视传媒淚t's been amazing,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭he weather has been great and there are so many amazing people I've met. It's been more than I expected.SA国际影视传媒�

The program, which is operated by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, is open to anyone between the ages of 16 to 24 and the idea behind it is to give youth the chance to build leadership skills through volunteering. Other events the program has travelled to are the Arctic Winter Games and North American Indigenous Games.

A total of 28 youth made up this year's contingent: 23 working as volunteers split up over the two weeks of the Games SA国际影视传媒� 11 in week one and 12 in week two SA国际影视传媒� and a further five as traditional games demonstrators.

Dawn Moses, the program's manager, said figuring out who makes the trip begins with the application process, followed by a committee which pores through the applications.

SA国际影视传媒淓very question on the application is rated by the committee,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淔or example, we ask the applicants what sort of volunteering they do in their home community, do they volunteer at school, what the program means to them and describe their home community in their words,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Sivakumar didn't even know about the program until the deadline to apply loomed and that's when a teacher at Sir John Franklin suggested she would be a good fit.

SA国际影视传媒淚t looked like a really cool program after I did some research about it,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚t was a chance for me to go to a place I have never been to before and I had no idea how great the Canada Games experience is.SA国际影视传媒�

Sivakumar is part of the week-two crew, preparing the athletes village for the arrival of the week-two teams and athletes before she hit the ground as a venue volunteer.

SA国际影视传媒淚 helped set up the beds and prepared the dorms for the athletes and coaches,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚've also worked on the (Team NWT) parents breakfast that was held earlier this week and helped out with security at the Forks (music and cultural area).SA国际影视传媒�

Sivakumar is hoping to go to medical school SA国际影视传媒� her choices have been narrowed down to McGill University in Montreal and the University of British Columbia SA国际影视传媒� after graduation and while the experience of the Games has been beneficial from a volunteer standpoint, it's also given her a chance to see what it's like venturing out on her own.

SA国际影视传媒淚 have a new-found sense of independence being here,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淵ou have to navigate the city on your own by taking buses and it shows you how the system works and it's very similar to a university community. You realize you have to get to different places, like a university campus, and this has helped me get used to that. You learn how to spend money and you learn how to live on your own. It's so much different than Yellowknife and I'm so glad I got to experience this.SA国际影视传媒�