Youth Forum 2009 : Youth take to the airwaves

By Jimmy Ruttan

Photos by Maia Lepage

It takes a brave individual to stand up in front of an audience to voice their opinions; it takes an even braver individual to stand up and make a change.

on february 4th, 2009, the Inuvik youth Center (I yC) hosted a live radio event. The youth Council went on-air, and told the world what was on their minds. C k LB radio’s William Greenland, and Dene’za a ntoine from the a boriginal s ports Circle of the Western a rctic led the two-hour youth forum. The main goal of the forum was to increase public awareness on the interests, issues, and concerns of today’s northern youth.

peer pressure and bullying emerged as burning issues for most youth. Teasing and bullying can happen no matter what age you are at; however it can be argued that they cause the most harm when directed towards our young people. youth do not necessarily have the skills and support to handle these problems effectively. Bullying can lead to peer pressure, which can in turn, lead youth down dangerous paths. Both bullying and peer pressure must be fought with positive resilience. We all need to listen to those that speak out, and do what is necessary to provide help and support.

It was evident from the forum that culture and community events are important to the youth. The then upcoming Muskrat Jamboree was a hot topic amongst the youth, who spoke not only of the activities they liked to participate in, but also the ones they loved to watch. Everyone agreed that s kidoo r aces and o ld-Time Dances were among their favourites; both activities bring people together from surrounding communities and everyone has a good time. a nother matter the youth held near and dear to their hearts was the need to keep their culture alive. Everyone agreed that the traditional practices were must-see events. They were glad that muskrat skinning, tea boiling and axe-throwing competitions still take place at the jamborees.

When asked what they wanted to see happen in their community, the overwhelming response from participants was the development of more youth specific programs. Currently there are programs run by the schools and the Inuvik youth Centre, but youth felt more facilities and programs are needed to cater to the needs and wants of all the youth in the community.

This forum also acted as a venue for the youth to showcase their creativity. Songs and readings were played throughout the broadcast, featuring the incredible talent of Inuvik’s youth. All the songs were composed and recorded by the youth in the new Youth Centre recording studio!

The response to the youth forum was tremendous. The C k LB website hosted a blog where listeners could comment. o ne woman remarked that the forum inspired her to return to school, so as to better her understanding of the social issues that youth are facing. s he felt driven to make a difference for the youth. There was also praise from many people across the country, giving accolades to the brave youth that spoke out, for educating us on what they were thinking and experiencing.

It is important that community members listen to youth who are trying to speak out. It takes a brave individual to stand up in front of an audience to voice their opinions; it takes an even braver individual to stand up and make a change. We need to applaud the efforts of our youth and to encourage them to keep making changes that will help improve our combined futures.