Iqaluit (July 24/06) - A new publication from the Embrace Life Council will provide a helping hand to Nunavummiut who want to help youth in their community, says the council's executive director.

The council released the Embrace Life Resources Toolkit earlier this month, which contains "tangible things that the communities can use" to set up programs and groups for youth with the long view of improving quality of life and preventing suicide, said Lori Idlout.

While paper copies aren't yet available, the council's 11 member groups are distributing electronic copies of the toolkit in Inuktitut and English, with an Innuinaqtun version in the works.

The toolkit provides tips on establishing local Embrace Life committees, plus lists of existing resources at all three levels of government. It also includes a directory of funding sources, which are abundant, Idlout said.

She said if she was at the community level she would be surprised at how much funding is available for community wellness projects.

Qajaaq Ellsworth, co-ordinator of the Innusikatsiarniq suicide prevention program with the National Inuit Youth Council, said the toolkit will make it easier for concerned Nunavummiut to take action.

Ellsworth said he hopes to see the toolkit become a "living document" community groups contribute to regularly, to share what works and what doesn't with others across Nunavut.