Of the 15 finalists up for $3.7 million in cash prizes through the Arctic Inspiration Prize, eight projects are wholly or partially Nunavut-based.
Nunavut News interviewed three Nunavut-based project organizers about their inspirations and objectives.
Arctic Inspiration youth prize finalist (up to $100,000): Investing in the Futures of Inuit Women
This youth-based initiative is an offshoot of volunteers and other team members associated with the non-profit organization One Plane Away, which provides baby clothing and supplies to Nunavut communities.
Aneeka Anderson, team lead, and Kennedy Haines, team member, and their colleagues, got the idea for the project after a particularly successful traditional sewing group initiative that took place in Arviat during spring 2021.
SA国际影视传媒淲omen still meet and sell their work [there],SA国际影视传媒� said Haines, SA国际影视传媒渁nd we thought, SA国际影视传媒楬ow can we do this in a larger way?SA国际影视传媒�
Getting together with seven other women involved in One Plane Away who are acting as mentors and local community coordinators in Iqaluit, Arviat, and Pangnirtung, the Inuit women team plan to use the prize money to hire two or three part-time employees in Iqaluit (including one high school student already involved SA国际影视传媒� Geena Veevee) in order to employ them while teaching them essential skills to work in the non-profit sector. The objective is to build a sustainable program designed to uplift Inuit women and mothers.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e really excited to partner with One Plane Away to support the community SA国际影视传媒� and Inuit women, in particular SA国际影视传媒� in an expanded way,SA国际影视传媒� Anderson stated, SA国际影视传媒渢hinking of things like mentorship, non-profit skill-building, and cultural skill-building.SA国际影视传媒�
AIP category finalists (up to $500,000): Learning, Harvesting, Earning
Project leader Teman Avingaq was unavailable while helping his son at the Nunavut Quest dog sled race, so Nunavut News spoke with Sam Arfin, project coordinator for Learning, Harvesting, Earning.
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檝e known Teman for 10 years, since I first went to Nunavut back in 2014. Teman already trains young men and boys how to hunt and fish and has been doing so for many years as he was taught in his youth. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a tradition to pass on knowledge to the next generation. I was inspired by his selflessness.
SA国际影视传媒淯ntil AIP, itSA国际影视传媒檚 been a struggle to train youth and live on your catch without the proper equipment. We felt that with the right support, hunters in the High Arctic would be able to devote themselves to training.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 well known that in Nunavut, food security is a difficult and multifaceted issue. With our project, fishers and trainees will be able to keep what they catch as one way to get more food into homes. Hunters will be able to sell their catch, as we know that thereSA国际影视传媒檚 more to food security than char alone.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a cliche, but we feel that it really encapsulates the project: Give someone a fish and theySA国际影视传媒檒l eat for a day. Teach them to fish, and theySA国际影视传媒檒l eat for a lifetime.SA国际影视传媒�
$1 million category: Ajunngittutit
This is SA国际影视传媒渁 longtime dreamSA国际影视传媒� for Shuvinai Mike, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and linguistics advisor, who has been an educator in Nunavut as long as it has been a territory.
SA国际影视传媒淭his is a program for children who really fall through the cracks of the education system,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
Mike noticed during her time as an educator that the three streams of education in Nunavut high schools were not always adequately meeting the needs of neurodiverse or trauma-informed youth.
SA国际影视传媒淲e are losing kids,SA国际影视传媒� she emphasized, SA国际影视传媒渆ven starting in middle school.SA国际影视传媒�
The program is a shared dream with Jennifer Noah, founding director and education lead.
SA国际影视传媒淭he focus is to add to the options of Nunavut learners, especially those who have not been able to attend, or may not be able to return to school because they may have challenging behaviour and havenSA国际影视传媒檛 been able to thrive in that mainstream system,SA国际影视传媒� Noah said. SA国际影视传媒淪o weSA国际影视传媒檙e really trying to create a Nunavut-specific, Inuit-led, tactile, hands-on learning opportunities for kids to thrive in and feel included, and to actually experience some successesSA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淲e want our program to help prevent adverse outcomes for very marginalized learners. Hopefully this will become the direction that becomes the alternative that the Department of Education looks at, that there are these types of alternative programs within schools. Kids need to thrive, and they shouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 not be at school. So letSA国际影视传媒檚 create these pockets of learning opportunities that are based on Inuit ways of knowing and doing. Inuit already know this. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e just turning to Inuit knowledge, and hopefully turning back towards this in the mainstream system, if itSA国际影视传媒檚 appropriate.SA国际影视传媒�
The 12th annual Arctic Inspiration Prize award ceremony, celebrating all finalists and announcing the winners, will be held in Whitehorse on May 7 in partnership with the Arctic Ingenious Investment Conference.
