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CAPE DORSET - By piecing together clues on June 11, the children of Cape Dorset found their way to five places in the community they can go for help when they're feeling down.

Aggiu Ashoona, left, Megan Ross, middle, and Levinia Toonoo are three of the volunteers who helped with the Cape Dorset Heals Amazing Race event held June 11, the national day of healing and reconciliation. During the event, a five-stop race with activities, children learned where they could get help if they needed someone to talk to. - photo courtesy of Grant Stovel

About 100 students of all ages participated in the inaugural Cape Dorset Heals Amazing Race, a five-stop race meant to teach them about suicide prevention, teamwork, community spirit and involvement, said registered psychiatric nurse Candice Waddell, who co-organized the event along with community health representative Martha Jaw.

Children were given clues to a place in the community where they could receive healing or assistance if they needed someone to talk to or felt suicidal, she added. Waddell said at each stop, there were activities revolving around teamwork, suicide prevention, healing and community spirit.

The children took about 90 minutes to finish the race, which was held on June 11 to coincide with the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation

"I thought it would be a great opportunity to use something like it in Cape Dorset just to show all the places people can go to get help because I feel that's quite important," she said. "It was extremely successful. The kids were absolutely amazing."

Some of the activities children participated in included relay races, garbage art or alphabet healing, where they had to list someone or an organization from A to Z.

The last clue directed everyone to the community hall for a feast attended by about 300 people.

"It didn't become about winning or losing for the kids," she said. "It didn't become about who came in first place. They were working together as teams, little teeny tiny teams, and they just worked together and it was amazing."

Students showed teamwork and community spirit during the event, said Waddell, such as the Grade 5 team that could have run ahead but decided to hang back and help the Grade 3 and younger team.

"The Grade 5 (team) saw the Grade 3 students' one was having a little bit of difficulty with running up the hill and the reading the clues and figuring out the activities.

"So the Grade 5 (team) actually stayed back and helped them and put them on their backs and carried them up the hills and helped them read the clues and figure out the activities," she said. "They ran the race entirely together and they finished last together.

That was what the race was supposed to bring out - teamwork and community spirit and helping one another and empathy towards one another and healing."

Sam Pudlat School Grade 6 teacher Lisa Kelly said it was very important for the school to participate.

"It was just a lot of fun. It was just a wonderful day and the kids still talk about it right now," she said.

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