Dreaming Big: Summit

By Jamie Bastedo

Growing up in Northern Canada is not easy. Inuit Youth living in isolated communities face social problems such as suicide, poor housing, school failures, violence, alcohol and substance abuse, and sexual abuse almost on a daily basis. These are heavy issues for Inuit Youth to grapple with on their own. But gather them together from all over Canada, give them a safe haven to explore such issues together, stir in a healthy measure of Elder wisdom plus a good dose of fun – and watch a magic power grow. That’s what happened in Inuvik last August at the second National Inuit Youth Summit.

“The summit gives Inuit youth the opportunity to participate fully and to be engaged in the issues that most directly affect them, and create solutions for youth by youth,” said Jesse Mike, past president of the National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC). Sponsored through a combination of grants from over 15 different organizations, the Summit was organized by the NIYC with huge support from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC).

The 68 conference delegates included elders and youth from every Inuit region across Canada representing 29 communities. Staff from ITK, IRC, the National Aboriginal Health Organization, National Aboriginal Role Model Program, Canadian Rangers, and many helpful volunteers from the Inuvik community were among the other participants.

The first youth summit of this scale was held in Kuujjuaq, Quebec, back in November 1994. This conference was an important stepping stone in creating a national voice for Inuit youth, aged 13 to 30, and marked the creation of the National Inuit Youth Council. This organization is made up of young representatives from land claim organizations in Nunatisavut, Nunavik and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, as well as the three regional land claims organizations of Nunavut.

In the 16 years since NIYC’s creation, it has helped many regions to develop innovative youth programs such as holding regular culture camps, in which elders share their land skills, and sending youth advocates to the United Nations to lobby for implementation of its Convention on the Rights of the Child. With NIYC’s support and guidance, Inuit youth across Canada’s North have developed a much stronger role in their parent organizations, making them a true force for positive change.

This force was definitely in the air at the Inuvik Summit, though you might not have felt it right off the bat. “First of all, everybody was very shy and didn't know anybody,” 17-year old Inuvik delegate, Alicia Lennie told Tussayaksat. “But they got us to sit at different tables, with four or five different communities at each. After about an hour we had to switch to other tables and be with different people. We had » to ask each other questions like, What is your favorite colour? Your favorite food? At the end of the day everybody became friends.” In summing up what she learned at the Summit, Alicia said it was “having confidence in who you are and presenting yourself. Don't be ashamed of who you are, and have fun.”

The fun stuff at the Summit included an Out-on-theland Day where everyone could take part in traditional Inuit games, canoeing, swimming, kayaking, and the biggest excitement of all, the blanket toss, where at least 25 people hold a canvas blanket and fling someone – often kicking and screaming – high into the air. Evening entertainment included a special performance of the Inuvik Drummers and Dancers and an OldTime Dance. These fun activities were fueled by all kinds of tradtitional foods such as smoked fish, chowder, dried caribou, and musk-ox burgers and were accompanied by much laughter, dancing, and singing.

The work revolved around a very full agenda based on youth input from across Canada gathered by the National Inuit Youth Council. That input called for practical sessions that would directly benefit all participants, both young and old, while inspiring them to take new ideas and knowledge back to their communities. The Summit offered a series of daily workshops and discussion forums that delegates could choose from depending on their particular interests. Topics included health and fitness, mental health, early childhood development, fetal alcohol syndrome, addictions, education priorities, and the Canadian Rangers. The promotion of traditional knowledge, Inuit language and culture, Inuit history, and leadership were strong undercurrents that flowed throughout all of these workshops.

While the Inuit youth were rolling up their sleeves to work on National Priorities, a special guest dropped in on their Summit. “Have big dreams,” NT Premier Floyd Roland told the entire delegation just before boarding a plane for a meeting in Aklavik. “Enjoy everything to the fullest.” The Premier drew on his own experience to inspire everyone to aim high, to become whatever they want. He told them how, in his day as an Inuvialuk youth, he had far fewer opportunities than today’s kids. “Being a young boy from Inuvik, I never thought I’d become the Premier of NT”, he said. But, through a combination of steady, hard work and supportive parents and elders, he realized his dreams and scaled the heights of political power. Though brief, his words of encouragement gave the youth much to think about.

With the success of this year’s gathering and revitalized funding support for NIYC, we won’t have to wait another sixteen years for the next National Inuit Youth Summit. One of the delegates’ last duties was to pick a site for the 2012 Summit. Congratulations to the community Kangiqsujuaq in Nunavik, northern Quebec. That’s where Inuit youth can take stock of the significant progress and positive ripples set in motion at this year’s summit. It is at these summits where, according to past NIYC President, Jesse Mike, “members pass on knowledge and responsibilities to the younger members to maintain the forward movement toward a better life for Inuit youth.”

All at the Inuvik Summit would likely agree that this journey forward will be challenging, with many closed doors and rough stretches along the way. “We will go through changes, and ups and downs,” said NIYC’s new president, Jennifer Watkins, in reflecting on what’s next. “But we will reach our goals together, as friends, as a community, regionally, locally and nationally.” Thanks to the new friendships, a common vision, deepened cultural pride, and boosted self-esteem spread by the Inuvik Summit, Inuit youth now have a shared reservoir of power to draw upon to move to a better life, one small step at a time.

Take this example. “There was a girl who was never able to speak out in public, who was very shy and nervous a lot of the time,” said Sarah Jancke, the Kitikmeot Regional Board member for NIYC. “Today I saw her get up and speak into a microphone about what she would like to see in education with Inuit youth. That alone made the entire summit worth it. I have at least one person going back with self-confidence.”

Besides bolstering everyone’s sense of self-worth, the summit reinforced the central importance of education in realizing one’s dreams. “This summit in Inuvik has been very empowering,” Jennifer Watkins said. “It has been a chance for us to learn from each other and from our elders. Learning can take us a long way. They say education is the key to success and I believe in that.”

“From the summit, I learned that I must go back to school and not avoid it like the plague,” said Inuvik delegate Douglas Price. “That my people, the Inuit of the North, can take control of their future by putting ourselves through school. The government is there trying to help us with an open hand. We must reach out and grab onto it, and embrace ourselves for the things to come ahead.”∞