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Racing for awareness Cape Dorset youth prepare for mental health scavenger hunt around the community
Danielle Sachs
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 10, 2013
KINNGAIT/CAPE DORSET
For the third year in a row, Cape Dorset planned its own version of popular reality TV series the Amazing Race. But instead of racing to different exotic locales around the world, the racers seek community places where people can find help.
Taukie Taukie, Candice Waddell, Martha Jaw and Josie Taukie show off their volunteer shirts from the 2012 Amazing Race. - photo courtesy of Candice Waddell |
Put on by the Cape Dorset Mental Health team - Candice Waddell, registered psychiatric nurse; Martha Jaw, community health representative; Megan Ross, child and youth outreach worker; and Josie Taukie, mental health summer student - the race leads youths to eight different destinations around town.
At each location, participants have to complete a task as a group before being given their next hint to find the next place.
"It's all about suicide prevention, mental health, self-esteem and healthy lifestyles," said Waddell. "It's aimed at youth and it's been pretty successful the past two years. Last year there were about 40 youth volunteers and around 140 participants."
The goal of the race is to use a fun activity to introduce community youth to the support resources available to them.
Although the weather has never co-operated in the past two years, that hasn't stopped the youths from showing growing excitement for the event.
"I think the first year we had it they started asking about when the next one would be immediately after it was over," said Waddell.
There's an added element of entertainment this year. If the flights go through, Beatrice Deer, an Inuk singer from Quaqtaq, Que., will be performing after the race. There's also a feast for the entire community.
Instead of prizes, everyone that participates in the race gets a T-shirt.
"It's more about participation," said Taukie. "The activities at each point are about teamwork and working as a group, self-esteem and that kind of thing."
Since the first race, word has been spreading around the community and each year there have been more kids coming out to participate, said Ross.
"The hype just spreads and keeps growing," she said.
Fundraising is ongoing throughout the year for the event, with penny sales and planning sessions. Deer was also scheduled to perform last year, but the flight was cancelled because of the weather.
Connear Ross will be opening for Deer. Ross graduated from high school last year, but has been substituting all year. A musician himself, Ross has been helping out with music classes at the school, helping students put produce some beats.
"I have a lot of songs on Soundcloud and some videos on Youtube," he said. "Some people are really shy to get things out and writing lyrics is one of the ways. But this is my first time opening and I'm really nervous."
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