Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 24/99) - Being incarcerated at Yellowknife Correctional Centre has been a time of personal growth for 26-year-old Bernie Atatahak.

Not only has the Cambridge Bay resident learned how to carve, but he has also been involved in a peer educator group.

Along with other peer educators he puts on skits to inform other inmates what behaviour is high risk for catching the HIV virus.

"We've performed skits and gone down to Hay River to perform at the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre," he said while holding a drum dancer sculpture that he was still working on.

"I've also learned how to carve while I've been in here."

Set to be released from YCC yesterday, he said he would make the transition back to society by staying at the Salvation Army to deal with some of his remaining addiction problems, he said.

But being at the Salvation Army's transition program will not keep him from walking in the AIDS walk Sept. 26.

To show his commitment to the AIDS cause, Atatahak is going to donate a sculpture of a polar bear to the person who raises the most money in this year's AIDS walk.

There will be two walks this year in Yellowknife. The first one is for the general public and starts at the Elks' hall.

"We will walk down past the courthouse, turn right past City Hall and Gerry Murphy Arena, turn right again up past the Abe Miller Centre, turn left onto Franklin and continue on to the community arena, turn around and walk straight down Franklin and return to the Elks' hall," said organizer Gail Gaudon.

"When people arrive back at the Elks' hall, we invite them to join us for refreshments."

The second AIDS walk will take place at 5:30 p.m. within the walls of YCC.

"This will be the first AIDS walk at a provincial or a territorial prison," Gaudon said.

"There was one at a prison before, but that was at the federal prison of Dorchester in New Brunswick."

Kelly Winter, who is also helping to organize the events, said there are incentives to get people to raise money.

For anyone raising $500 they will get an AIDS walk vest and a $50 gift certificate. For $75 raised, people get a T-shirt. For $20 people will get a temporary tattoo.

Other prizes are given for other denominations.

Winter said another way people can give to the AIDS cause and have some fun is by taking in a triple feature at the Capitol Theatre on Sept. 27.

All three movies are the price of one with all proceeds going to AIDS Yellowknife.