Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 25/02) - A group of Iqaluit students are clamping down on violence amongst their peers.

Iqaluit Kids Against Violence (IKAV), a group of 12 devoted teens committed to ending needless bullying in schools, are off to a promising good start.

Samantha Cooper, a 15-year-old Grade 10 student at Inuksuk High School, rallied the concerned teens this September to discuss how to stop bullying and encourage victims to stand up for themselves.

The group has met regularly since the beginning of the school year. They have also pulled together to pick up garbage around the community and held a fundraiser to spread the word out about their existence.

Cooper said most Iqaluit students and residents have heard about the group, but don't know exactly what they're all about.

"A lot of kids that come up to us at school say it's stupid what we're doing because we're not going to stop violence ... we understand that we're not going to stop it all at once, but we want to help out and try," she said.

The group has several plans for the future.

They include a protest march against teen violence, a community meeting to determine how to best fight violence in schools, and a mini-conference possibly involving youth from around Nunavut.