RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE
Viviane Edgi-Manuel knows the value of a good education. The Fort Good Hope resident says her father taught her the importance of going to school and not giving up, even when situations were difficult.
Viviane Edgi-Manuel was awarded one of this year's Wise Women Awards by the Northwest Territories Status of Women Council. - photo courtesy of Viviane Edgi-Manuel |
Edgi-Manuel's father, Cassien Edgi, was a janitor at the local health centre that is now named after him.
Edgi-Manuel said her father made sure she and her siblings earned high school diplomas.
"He really pushed us to finish high school, although he had to send us away," she said. "It was really difficult for him."
Edgi-Manuel said while attending high school at Grollier Hall in Inuvik, she would often call him wanting to come home.
She said her father told her to wait until Easter and if she wanted to stay home, she could. Edgi-Manuel ended up deciding to return to school.
"I ended up going back," she said. "That was a test, I think he knew. He might have planned it. I didn't want to stay home."
Her steadfast work ethic is one of the reasons she was awarded one of this year's Wise Women Awards from the Northwest Territories Status of Women Council.
Edgi-Manuel said when she found out she had been chosen for the award - she couldn't quite believe it.
"I didn't think I qualified," she said, laughing. "I don't really care to be recognized, I just enjoy what I do. I'm kind of a shy person, so it's kind of hard for me to be in front of people."
While she might find it difficult to be in the spotlight, Edgi-Manuel isn't afraid to highlight other people's achievements.
She said her role as an economic development officer allows her to develop projects to help fellow community members.
A few years ago, Edgi-Manuel started an awards ceremony to celebrate students who have graduated high school. Just before Christmas this year, a community feast was held to honour graduates and students now attending post-secondary education.
"It make the students feel good that the community is thinking about them," she said. "The students are happy that people are
not forgetting them."
Edgi-Manuel also started a pilot project to help high school students navigate the paperwork required to apply to colleges and universities, as well as help them figure out which programs are right for them.
"It's making sure they go into a program they don't give up on," she said. "They might get into the wrong area if they don't do the research."
Edgi-Manuel said she realized there was a need for someone in the community to assist students when her daughter was finishing high school. Edgi-Manuel decided to start up a program to do just that.
"I learned all this trying to help my daughter when she was in Grade 12," she said.
"I knew how much work that entailed. A lot of students don't have that help at home."
She also helped develop a sewing program for women in the community, as well as a craft-making program.
Edgi-Manuel is also promoting the community gardening program next year and hopes to help council to apply for a grant to build a greenhouse.
"A lot of the stuff I do is related to my job," she said. "I really enjoy my job. It has so many different areas that we cover."
Edgi-Manuel said she hopes others, especially the community's youth, will take a lesson from her father's advice the way she has.
"He told us that that's the only way we're going to be able to take care of ourselves in the future because the world is changing," she said. "He always thought about the future. I believe that as well."
Manuel will travel to Yellowknife to receive her award on March 8. The ceremony is open to the public and will be held at the Explorer Hotel at noon.
Annemieke Mulders, programs and research manager with the NWT Status of Women Council, said five winners were selected from the 25 women nominated this year.
The number of nominations has been growing every year since the awards began in 1992, she said.
"We feel that every year, it gets better and better," she said. "It makes the decision for the board harder and harder. We certainly appreciate how much interest there is."
She said the awards are a way to celebrate women whose contributions might not be formally recognized.
"A lot of the contributions are under the radar," Mulders said. "We wanted to open it up a bit so these deserving women could be recognized for what they're doing."
Mulders also said women who did not win this year can be nominated again next year.
"It was a tough year," she said about the selection process. "There are some amazing women in there."
