Reaching for the goal line
Literacy program shows big picture in game of hockey and life
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, October 29, 2014
RANKIN INLET
Literacy is not the first thing to spring to mind when hosting a hockey camp.
Young players raise their hands to a question from instructor Adriana Kusugak during a literacy session embedded in a minor hockey camp in Rankin Inlet this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
But literacy played an important role in the camp held in Rankin Inlet this past week.
Adriana Kusugak of the Nunavut Literacy Council (Ilitaqsiniq) said the approach embeds literacy into the whole hockey lifestyle.
She said the kids do some critical thinking on what it takes to be a hockey player.
"One session was on appreciation and gratitude, so we read books and talked about hockey parents," said Kusugak. "We discussed what it takes to be a hockey parent - the effort and the sacrifices they make to allow their child to be part of the game.
"The session had them think about not only what they have to do, but what it takes from their family for them to play hockey."
Kusugak said the literacy council partnered in the hockey camp as part of a larger, Pan-Northern project embedding literacy into youth programming.
She said each jurisdiction, from Yukon to Labrador, picked two youth programs to embed literacy in.
"Nunavut decided to fund and sponsor the creative arts day program in Baker Lake this past summer, as well as the hockey literacy camp.
"It helps kids to understand it takes more to be a hockey player than skating, shooting and passing.
"You have to be able to strategize and be a good teammate too, and that's the type of thing we covered during the literacy portion of the hockey camp."
Kusugak said she started most sessions by having the kids get a healthy snack provided by the camp and take their seats for a hockey story.
She said the story follows the day's theme, such as what it takes to make a good team and be a good teammate.
"The story gets them thinking about it and then they get right into their work. We expect more from the older groups, such as deciding their goal in life and going through the stages of how they're going to reach it.
"That had them thinking of the challenges they'd face, how to overcome them and the resources they'd need to reach their goal.
"The kids now realize to be a successful hockey player they have to work hard in all areas of life, and with this being one of those areas, they gave it their all."
