Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Dec 22/99) - Kivalliq's adult educators gathered in Rankin Inlet earlier this month for an intense three-day meeting.

Rankin Inlet adult educator Bob Spensley says the main focus of the meeting was to better understand the changes affecting adult education in the Kivalliq during the past year.

"We started off by focusing on different ways of doing our job by understanding our roles as adult educators and the needs of our communities," says Spensley.

"We met with many agencies and funding partners of Nunavut Arctic College to better understand their policies."

William Beveridge, an adult educator from Repulse Bay, attended the meeting to find out what adult educators in the region offer in their learning centres and to hear their needs.

Beveridge says he returned to Repulse with a better understanding of how to locate and obtain whatever is necessary to meet the needs in his community.

"This meeting was great," says an enthusiastic Beveridge.

"I'm kind of the new kid on the block and it helped me a great deal, but the meeting offered something for everybody."

Emil Arnalak arrived from Arviat intent on learning about the funding policies of various agencies and departments and how to access them.

Arnalak says he also wanted to learn more about the college's paperwork policies and procedures.

"I found the meeting to be very, very resourceful and I'm pleased with the knowledge I'll be taking back to Arviat with me," he says.

Leonie McKitrick says she went to Rankin so Coral Harbour would have a good understanding of funding resources, who controls them and how to go about accessing them.

"I was mainly focused on the Inuktitut portion of writing effective funding proposals to various agencies," says McKitrick.

"I found the meeting to be very informative."

Chesterfield Inlet's Marion Jackson says learning centres across the region share a common vision.

"We want to work more closely together to share resources and support one another so that the best training available is given to the people of Nunavut.

"It's our vision and it's also our passion."

Bob Berthiaume, Nunavut Arctic College's campus director in Rankin Inlet, wants to thank the many people who met with the group and says it was important for educators to come together to get a better understanding of both the college and the needs of their communities.

"It's important we gain a sense of the needs of our communities and come up with an effective way of responding to those needs," says Berthiaume.

"We need to work together and co-operate with our efforts.

"We can't be isolationist and deny any longer that we have to work together co-operatively and creatively."