AKLAVIK
Northern education and culture were at the forefront of discussion during a recent TEDx Talk in Aklavik.

Leanne Goose, left, Jordan Peterson and Bobbie-Jo Greenland-Morgan wew among those who spoke at the recently held TEDx Talk in Aklavik. - Bart Kalata photo

The one-day conference, held March 7 in the Moose Kerr School gym, featured seven Northern speakers and a performance by Inuvik’s Leanne Goose.

TEDx Talks are a smaller, community-based offshoot of the global TED (technology, entertainment and design) Talks conferences held annually in larger centres.

Billy Archie, director of Aklavik’s District education authority, was among the 60 audience members who went to the talk. Three hundred tickets were sold but weather kept some from attending, according to organizers.

He said he was particularly moved by Velma Illasiak’s talk on the history of education in Aklavik and the challenges educators face.

Illasiak is Moose Kerr’s first aboriginal principal.

"The (talk) was needed just to showcase the efforts and challenges that our school system faces," said Archie.

Educators in Aklavik must balance teaching Inuvialuit traditional values and Gwich’in, noted Archie.

Also, the practice of social passing is undermining the school system because students are moved onto the next grade, even if they don't meet academic requirements, he continued.

Archie said he wants to see an end to the practice.

"(The speakers) gave a real perspective of the importance of education, not only western science/western education but the real cultural part of the community."

Part of preparing students for the world is ensuring they can survive on the land, he added.

Moose Kerr teacher Shane Douglas spearheaded the effort to bring TEDx to Aklavik.

Douglas was inspired to organize the event following the death of four local elders in September.

"We really wanted to showcase Northern culture and bring it to the world stage," explained co-organizer Daniel Witt, who also teaches at Moose Kerr.

A video of the event will be uploaded to the TEDx website, however at this time no date has been set for its release.

If the reaction from those present at the talk is any indication, the speakers’ messages will be well received, added Witt.

"We weren’t sure what to expect holding this in such a small community but we thought it was going to be something to help build our community and to kind of grow it together so to speak and it really did.

We had a lot of positive response and people were really glad it ended up happening. At first it seemed like it was kind of a big dream for such a small place but it turned out quite well."

Inga Gardlund’s talk on the magic of literacy was particularly liked.

The Grade 1 teacher at Moose Kerr spoke about how parents need to be active in their children’s education and work with them in the home.

She also said it’s easier to help children improve their literacy skills nowadays because people have access to well-equipped libraries with the Internet.

"We had parents saying, ‘It’s nice to hear these kind of things because they’re not necessarily things you always think about,'" said Witt.

Local gymnastics coach Kevin Corrigan said his favourite talk was Power to Make Change’ by Bobbie-Jo Greenland-Morgan.

She spoke about protecting the environment, specifically the Peel River and porcupine caribou herd, and how people can make their voices heard on issues.

"It was a good reminder of how you can make a difference," said Corrigan. "You don’t need to wait for someone else to make a change. You can go ahead and make a change."

Corrigan also said he was impressed with Douglas for bringing TEDx to Aklavik and putting the hamlet on the map. The event was really inspirational, he added.

"I think it really got people thinking and talking."

It will be interesting to see how the event impacts the community and if the messages will move people to action, said Witt.

He said he wouldn’t want the event to happen annually because it would start to lose its aurora and effect but he’d like to see the talk happen again.

"I’ll be pushing for one in the future at some point."

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