Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Arviat (Aug 31/05) - Suicide is one of the worst things to happen in a community because it hurts so many people at so many levels, says Arviat school counsellor Billy Ukutak.

Ukutak has spent his entire working life helping youth and adults to set goals and find bright things in life to look forward to.

But, when tragedy strikes, Ukutak says people need to come together to support each other and share their feelings.

He says people need to know they have the ability within themselves to support those who are suffering.

"I can't stress enough how important it is, especially in our Northern communities, to do things that make our youth feel special about themselves," says Ukutak.

"When we had two suicides in Arviat this past spring, it was very, very hard on both our youth and the adults in the community.

"The youth were grieving so much that many adults were scared a chain reaction would start and the community would have to face more tragedy."

Ukutak knew the community needed a boost and it needed it quickly.

He organized a music festival to help youth focus on something positive and feel good about themselves.

The event was both highly emotional and highly successful.

But, Ukutak says, it was just the first step in what has to be an ongoing process.

"As adults, we know our youth can do anything they want in life.

"The hard part is coming up with ways for youth to see their own potential.

"The opportunities are there, but they need the confidence to set goals and follow their dreams."

Ukutak says an important key to suicide prevention is getting youth to talk to each other.

He says if a handful of youth realize their potential, they talk to others about their feelings and let them know they can do it too.

"Once youth start talking, they will often open up and discuss issues that, maybe, they do not normally share.

"That's one of the reasons why I organized the community gathering after the two tragic deaths struck us.

"It's important for youth to know they have things to look forward to, and that they're contributing to their family, school or community.

"That's especially important after something as horrible as suicide happens in their community."

Ukutak says the cruelest thing about suicide is that people cannot see the feelings inside someone who is contemplating the act.

He says there will never be an effective measure against suicide until people start talking more openly about the issue.

"I will organize a second festival this fall, but this one will focus on parents who lost children to suicide.

"There are a lot of parents in Arviat who have lost children to suicide.

"I want to bring them together so we can talk about what we are doing to deal with our loss, and share knowledge about something that is quite difficult to understand."