Northern News Services

Arctic Bay (Jan 09/06) - Arctic Bay youth want change, and the time is now.

Nunavut Youth Consulting - a youth-run organization geared at creating positive change for youth - spearheaded an action meeting that took place Dec. 14 at the Inuujaq school gym.

Group leader Neil Kigutaq writes some of Arctic Bay's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats on the wall as members of his group call them out to him. - photo courtesy of Ron Elliott

"They want change and they're doing something about it," said Nathaniel Chouinerd, 18, one of the group leaders during the meeting.

"It went awesome," said Chouinerd.

"So many youth came and they were actually there for the whole meeting. This surprised me because the youth don't usually get involved."

Even without the lure of door-prizes - a common tool used to attract people to events - upwards of 60 youth attended to brainstorm the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing youth in the community.

"They want change more than the adults in this community so they believe their voices will be heard more," said group leader Neil Kigutaq, 18.

The common theme that came up throughout the meeting was "youth are bored," said Chouinerd.

Without a community centre, all group activities are forced into the school gym, which means sports and youth activities often lose out.

With a population of about 700 people, one facility is not enough, say the youth.

"There isn't a youth centre, and there's nothing to do for the youth," group leader Becky May, 17, said. She said her group voiced alcohol and drugs as other major problems facing youth.

"But this meeting only scratched the surface," she said.

More meetings are planned for the coming months.

Nunavut Youth Consulting plans to send the Dec. 14 meeting minutes to Nunavut's Members of the Legislative Assembly, "to tell them what's happening," said May.

"They don't know what's going on with the youth and they'll be able to help, hopefully."

She says she doubts Arctic Bay's problems are unique.

"Each community has almost the same problems: boredom, alcohol, drugs and break-ins."

Kigutaq and Chouinerd learned the skills needed to run a meeting without adults through a Youth Taking Charge conference in Yellowknife last year.

The two were asked to join the conference through their involvement with the cadets.

"We got a better idea of what to do in a meeting," said Kigutaq.

"We learned how to facilitate and plan, and make questions and find ways to get answers without actually asking a question, and without intimidating."