Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Feb 09/00) - Kivalliq communities have the opportunity to help take a bite out of crime.

The National Crime Prevention Centre and the Nunavut Department of Justice have issued a Nunavut-wide call for proposals for the Community Mobilization program.

This is the first time a call for proposals has gone out to Nunavut.

A maximum of $50,000 is available to successful proposals.

Projects should identify the types of crime in their community; specify how the program will decrease this crime; be based on crime prevention through social development; and focus on strengthening individuals, families and communities.

Deadlines for applications is March 31.

Baker Lake's Heather Tickie works with the National Crime Prevention Centre in Ottawa as a community co-ordinator.

Tickie will ensure Nunavut proposals meet the centre's criteria before submitting them for approval.

"As I prepare them, I communicate with applicants and make sure they have all the necessary information in their proposal before forwarding it to the joint management committee (JMC)," says Tickie.

The JMC meets twice a year in each region, including this April in Rankin Inlet.

Baker Lake is already working on a project for approval.

"Baker wants to host a community meeting in hopes of gaining community involvement to set up partnerships to develop and institute solutions to the problems they are experiencing.

"Their first step will be to get together as a community and decide what their highest priority is.

"Then we will move ahead with an actual proposal to the Community Mobilization program."

Tickie says priorities for proposals include family, youth and children; promoting youth involvement; community justice initiatives; women's personal safety and family violence; and cultural initiatives.

She says progress can only be obtained through social development, starting at the core of the problem and fixing it from there.

"Parents need to be more involved so we're sending a consistent message to the children," she says.

"It's no good for the federal government to start a program like this if parents don't get involved. Education, awareness and community involvement are key building blocks in decreasing crime in the Kivalliq Region and the rest of Nunavut.