NUNAVUT
They were going to do it without the money but a $300,000 Arctic Inspiration Prize will propel the Better Hearing for Northern Youth (BHENY) team to outfit schools in Nunavut with sound-amplification systems so hard-of-hearing youth aren't left behind.

Mary Etuangat, left, Sandra Roberts, Ningeola Tiglik and Christy Douwsma hold up their $300,000 Arctic Inspiration Prize cheque. The four are part of a team bringing sound-amplification systems to Nunavut schools. - photo courtesy of Sandra Roberts

"This is like a birthday present for all the children of the North," Mary Etuangat, principal of Attagoyuk Illisavik in Pangnirtung, said in her thank-you speech at the Ottawa ceremony for the prize.

She's part of the 12-member BHENY team, eight of whom are from Nunavut and four from the south.

"We know 30 to 40 per cent of our children have hearing loss at any given time," explained Sandra Roberts, who's been working in the Qikiqtani Region for three years.

Passionate about Nuanvummiut youth and their ability to succeed in school, the team has been working on implementing sound-amplification systems in Nunavut schools regardless of the Arctic Inspiration Prize but that money will be speeding up the implementation.

"We were extremely proud and very happy it was recognized," said Roberts. "We're also relieved because that means we don't have to wait until the fall to start installing these programs."

The technology will see students using wireless headsets while in the classroom to better hear their teacher speaking. The dynamic sound systems will automatically adjust to the sound level in the classroom, allowing the teacher to be heard even if speaking softly.

Inability to hear, or struggling to hear, is a major contributor to attention issues in school, said Roberts.

"I've actually used them myself," she said. "It's remarkable the difference when a teacher starts speaking up. Every child comes to attention."

Ulaajuk School in Pond Inlet and Alookie School in Pangnirtung will be the first schools to have the technology implemented this spring.

The BHENY team will be training school staff to use the equipment and keep it maintained.

"We're planning for the long-term sustainability of this," said Roberts.

The project won't just help the young, either. Gymnasiums will be outfitted so that adults and elders wh have difficulty hearing can attend community events and hear everything being said.

"We want our elders to feel very welcome in our schools," said Roberts. "The community and the school work very closely together here, and we want this to not just benefit the children but to benefit the community."

The BHENY team is working on the project on a volunteer basis. Roberts recently took personal time off to get training with the equipment in the south.

"You make the time," she said. "You can't ignore 30 per cent. We make the time to do it."