The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) in conjunction with Genuine Progress Index Atlantic (GPIA) have selected Dennis Kirkness of Split Lake to participate in a six-month international intern program.

Kirkness, 34, is a University College of the North (UCN) student, who has lived in Thompson the past five years, studying community economic development and sociology.

Dennis first stopped in Millbrook Nova Scotia, a Mik'maq reserve community where he did pre-departure training on intercultural knowledge exchange, to prepare him for his six-month trip to Bhutan, a landlocked nation between India and China.

“When I get to be Bhutan, I'll be what's called a local wisdom research facilitator,” said Kirkness, “I'll first do some acculturation and get to know the country and then I'll be assisting a government worker from Canada with interviewing some Bhutanese elders.”

Kirkness will be helping build a workshop for the local youth to facilitate the transfer of local wisdom. A proposal is also in the works to the United Nation to introduce a new way of measuring progress.

“Rather than measure by GDP (Gross National Product), we want to introduce what's called GNH or gross national happiness,” said Kirkness, “they want that to be acknowledged worldwide.”

The nation of Bhutan has been employing this system for years and are more concerned with the happiness of their people than money and products says Kirkness.

There were three possible locations for Kirkness when he was selected for the program, and he applied for the grouping of Peru, Chile or Bhutan.

“The ACIC analyzes the applicants and chooses the interns based on their backgrounds and abilities and skills and they matched me up with Bhutan,” said Kirkness.

The six-month undertaking will not be a school related one, though the program was brought to the attention of Kirkness by one of his UCN professors. Credit will not be given towards his schooling and degree, though he has been given the green light to write his thesis on his experiences while in Bhutan. With such a rare opportunity, Kirkness hopes that he can parlay what he learns oversees into a career back home.

“I see myself coming back home to Canada and contributing a leadership role,” said Kirkness, “tackling community issues, setting up workshops and organizations.”

Kirkness departed for Bhutan on Jan 20 and will return home to Canada in late June.