Healthy improvements on the Bay
Recreational club opens its doors to youths in Repulse
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, March 5, 2014
REPULSE BAY
The Tusarvik Youth Recreational Club has become a reality, providing supervised sport activities for a number of youth in Repulse Bay.
Anita Kopak is one of the peer counsellors helping to make the Tusarvik Youth Recreational Club a success since opening in Repulse Bay this past month. - photo courtesy of George Thompson |
Guidance counsellor and teacher George Thompson applied to Brighter Futures for a little more than $43,000 to pay peer counsellor salaries for supervising youth in grades five to nine this past October.
Hamlet council approved the application and the community waited on a decision from Brighter Futures.
Thompson said the idea for the project came from monthly inter-agency meetings.
He said agency members included himself, Cpl. Terry Burns and Kaj Johnson of the RCMP, Miroslaw Rebis, Kathleen Semanyk, school-community counsellor Solomon Malliki and representatives from mental health and social services.
"This is something mandated by the Government of Nunavut, and Repulse Bay is proud to see monthly meetings being held to make the community a safer place," said Thompson.
"This past January, it was suggested the at-risk youth plan, as outlined in the Brighter Futures application, be started before funding was approved.
"Kathleen (Semanyk) suggested having the project up and running might help to have the proposal approved.
"Solomon (Malliki), principal Aubrey Bolt and our District Education Authority thought it was a great idea."
Thompson got to work organizing everything, and the club had its first day in the school gym Feb. 15.
The students in Grade 5 to Grade 9 are the most in need of supervised evening and weekend sport activities. The club runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on three Saturdays per month, with peer counsellors doing the supervising. Thompson said 21 students attended the club's grand opening, with peer counsellors Anita Kopak, Jay Mapsalak and Kelvin Ivalutanar supervising basketball, volleyball, skipping, soccer, and wolf tag.
He said the hamlet has now granted use of the community centre for the club, which is good news for everybody concerned.
"Activities at the community centre began from 7 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 24.
"I was the teacher on duty and I was joined by peer counsellors Anita Kopak and Veronica Uttak. We had 30 students attend and they enjoyed themselves immensely."
Tusarvik's peer counsellors have received training on suicide awareness, violence prevention, healthy relationships, and bullying and harassment prevention.
Thompson said they've also had two land retreats, a general training session, ASIST training and a Red Cross babysitting course.
"It's been a year of record suicides in Nunavut.
"Hopefully, initiatives such as these will help make life more interesting for our youths, and Repulse Bay will be a safe community to grow up in."
