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ULUKHAKTOK/AKLAVIK - The communities of Ulukhaktok and Aklavik have challenged each other to a duel - to help save lives.

The two communities are signed up for the "Quit to Win Challenge." Smokers are encouraged to give up smoking for the month of January and non-smokers praised for not starting.

Chelsey Olifie, left, and Merryl Hammond sign up a participant for the "Quit to Win Challenge" in Ulukhaktok. More than a third of the community has signed up to take part in the program. - photo courtesy of Tyler Inuktalik

"We did not want to discriminate against non smokers so we opened it up to both smokers and non-smokers," said Aklavik co-ordinator Tanya Greenland.

The challenge is aimed at both youth and adults, with some serious prizes up for grabs, including new Macintosh computers and iPods.

The community with the highest percentage of participants will get first pick for the best prizes.

Joanne Ogina, a co-ordinator with the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, said the program began with a survey to get an idea of how many people in town were smoking, and how old people are when they pick up the habit.

"Some of the early findings are that children are starting to smoke at a younger age," said Ogina, adding the survey has found that children are first experimenting with cigarettes as young as five or six years old.

The two schools challenged each other and did daily activities in each of the classes. There were also events in the community after school for all ages.

Ogina said both schools will each get a Mac computer. All participants in both communities will get their name in a draw for iMac computers and iPods, provided by oil and gas company BP Canada.

Dr. Merryl Hammond has helped organize Quit to Win. She said it appears Ulukhaktok has won the challenge of enrolling the most people. Some 35 per cent of Ulukhaktok's population signed up, while Aklavik came second with a respectable 29 per cent. She pointed out that Aklavik does have a higher population and more participants in total.

Hammond said everyone taking part in the program will be a winner because they are helping to combat the "culture of smoking" that exists in Northern communities.