Makivik Magazine Issue 65
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Moving Forward<br />
with Suicide<br />
Prevention<br />
The Canadian Association For Suicide<br />
Prevention held its annual conference<br />
in Iqaluit, Nunavut, this past May<br />
15th to 18th. Among the approximately<br />
40 Nunavimmiut who attended the<br />
gathering were <strong>Makivik</strong>’s youth liaison<br />
officer, Adamie Padlayat, as well as Rhoda<br />
Eetook, representing the Saputiit Youth<br />
Association for Ungava Bay. Adamie and<br />
Rhoda provided the following reflections<br />
of their experience.<br />
Adamie Padlayat<br />
I was invited to attend the Conference<br />
as president for the National Inuit Youth<br />
Council (NIYC). One of main objectives for<br />
the NIYC is suicide prevention and intervention.<br />
The Council is also in the process<br />
of hiring a youth as the national Inuit suicide<br />
prevention intervention coordinator<br />
who will work in the North.<br />
Being invited to this important conference<br />
gave many youth an opportunity<br />
to get input from other Inuit regions of<br />
Canada. I had an opportunity to say a few<br />
words at the youth coffee house, where<br />
youth from all over had an entertainment<br />
line-up and a couple of songs to open the<br />
evening.<br />
We all attended many presentations<br />
throughout the conference to see<br />
what ideas we could bring to our Suicide<br />
Prevention Workshop that will be held in<br />
Kangirsuk in November 2003.<br />
The Nunavik delegates got together<br />
after the panel in order to prepare for<br />
Nunavik’s 25-minute presentation. As well<br />
from Nunavik, individuals presented seminars<br />
on life after suicide in the family,<br />
which was very touching. Rhoda Eetook<br />
of Kangirsuk made the front-page picture<br />
of Nunatsiaq News, as she was putting up<br />
the names of her friends and family on a<br />
bulletin board displaying suicide victims.<br />
There were about 36 delegates from<br />
Nunavik, including political leaders, school<br />
representatives, social service workers,<br />
and others involved in suicide prevention<br />
and intervention.<br />
NUNATSIAQ NEWS<br />
>SwAMs3ymix1qMK5> Ì8N x?lQ/sMsJJ6 xr8NË3bsymJj5<br />
i[1ô[5noxam5hi wkw5 wMu w7uixpxEym/u xtq8i4<br />
“We shall not forget“ was the theme of this bulletin board upon which participants<br />
pinned up the names of relatives who have taken their own lives<br />
Rhoda Eetook<br />
There were a lot of workshops, which<br />
made it hard to choose because the entire<br />
conference looked ver y interesting to<br />
attend. First, I went to a very informative<br />
workshop on behavior, how the children<br />
feel, and why they are sad.<br />
I participated in different enjoyable<br />
games that kept everyone on their feet,<br />
which I was able to bring back to try with<br />
people back home.<br />
Another workshop that many youth<br />
attended at the library, facilitated by two<br />
people, was on drama. This was something<br />
else, because we don’t see any organized<br />
drama programs in Nunavik. Young people<br />
were acting in a certain way and then the<br />
facilitator would tell them to stop and act<br />
in a different way, such as comically or in<br />
fast action.<br />
Suicide is not a solution. It will pass,<br />
whatever. Think about a time when you<br />
were unhappy and look at yourself today<br />
and know that things can pass.<br />
A Weekend of Talent<br />
and Athletics<br />
By Isabelle Dubois<br />
Over 80 young people arrived in Kuujjuaq<br />
last May 30th for a weekend of athletic<br />
events and a talent show. Organized by<br />
Kuujjuaq’s Uvikkait Dome Youth Centre in<br />
collaboration with the community and other<br />
sponsors and volunteers, the weekend was<br />
certainly a hit! All participants had a chance<br />
to get to know each other during a welcome<br />
Moving Forward<br />
The theme for the conference was<br />
“Moving For ward” and Sheila Watt<br />
Cloutier, who chairs the Inuit Circumpolar<br />
Conference, addressed the audience with a<br />
very passionate and inspirational speech.<br />
Reflecting on the theme of the conference,<br />
she had the following words.<br />
“I believe strongly we can move forward.<br />
I believe we have the answers within<br />
us to move forward with the wisdom of our<br />
culture as well as wisdom from elsewhere,<br />
wherever that may be found. I believe we no<br />
longer can afford to keep the next generation<br />
hostage because we in the adult world<br />
choose to keep ourselves in victim roles acting<br />
out our anger and fear by hurting those<br />
around us – often those we love most.”<br />
“Coming from a wise culture of being<br />
able to prepare our children for life in such<br />
hard conditions of the Arctic, I know,<br />
believe, and trust strongly that we still<br />
have it in us to find solutions. I believe it<br />
is by reclaiming the values, principles and<br />
wisdom of our culture that we will move<br />
forward.”<br />
barbeque, followed by a movie at the local<br />
Katittavik Town Hall’s movie theatre.<br />
The Kuujjuaq Karate Team, led by<br />
Giovanna Taddeo, hosted a competition<br />
at the Kuujjuaq Forum with teams from<br />
Salluit, Puvirnituq, and Montreal. First,<br />
officials from the Montreal Karate School<br />
of Shorinjiryu Kentokukan and KyoKushin<br />
judged the competitors’ skills as they demonstrated<br />
the techniques they learned over<br />
the past year or so. While the officials were<br />
computing the results of the first competition,<br />
the Iqaluit Judo team demonstrated<br />
MAKIVIK magazine<br />
77
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