Heading to Miss Teen Canada Globe
Saskia Curley hopes to bring home crown using fire, beauty and her compassion for the less fortunate
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
RANKIN INLET
A 14-year-old girl from Rankin Inlet is hoping to raise awareness of food insecurity in Nunavut when she represents the territory at the Miss Teen Canada Globe pageant next month.
Saskia Curley poses for a photo shoot sporting her Miss Teen Canada Globe sash. - photo courtesy of Jacqueline Curley |
Saskia Curley has never been one for beauty pageants but she decided to enter one after her friend Avianna MacKenzie represented Canada at the international pageant last year.
Curley told Kivalliq News she hopes the competition will give her the opportunity to educate the rest of the country about her culture and the challenges faced by families who can't afford food.
"Canada is a fully developed country living with Third World food conditions," she said, referring to the high cost of food in Nunavut.
Before getting involved in the beauty pageant, Curley began working at Deacon's Cupboard, helping to feed the less fortunate. The experience left a big impact on her.
"In one day we feed 109 families. It really showed me how many people depend on that," she said.
"I'm hoping to get people to donate and to show them how important food banks are because up North our food is so expensive and it would really help families."
The pageant takes place in Toronto beginning Aug. 4. There are four components to the competition - a talent round, a culture round, an evening gown round, and an interview.
For the talent portion, Curley will be doing a choreographed fire-spinning routine.
"It's a stick and it has poi on the end of it and you light in on fire and you spin it," she said.
"A lot of people in my family do it so I tried and I continued to do it because I like it."
During the culture round, she will wear a beaded amauti. She will then sport a pink dress with a sealskin top for the evening gown round.
While she enjoys dressing up, Curley said she is most excited for the talent show. She may be a little nervous but she has been practicing every day for the last few months.
"I'm scared to be performing in front of people I don't know but I'm very excited," she said.
Saskia's mom, Jacqueline Curley, said her daughter has come a long way since she decided to join the pageant, which required her to submit an application, some pictures and complete an interview.
"She's been working hard all year," she said.
She said the experience was a good way for Saskia to develop her leadership skills and learn new things.
Aside from the fact that she has fine-tuned her fire-spinning routine, Jacqueline is proud of her daughter for recognizing at such a young age that not everybody has food security.
"I'm really happy that she is trying to move forward and raise awareness because it will make a difference," she said.
"She's learning how to advocate for what she believes in."
If she wins, Saskia could take home $4,000, a scholarship to the college or university of her choice and the chance to represent Canada at the Miss Teen International Globe Pageant.
The opportunity hasn't come cheap though.
With just over two weeks to go, Saskia is hoping to raise a few more thousand dollars to help with the nearly $8,000 it will cost to pay for flights, accommodation, registration fees, photo shoots and stylists.
Saskia said she is extremely grateful to have already received more than $2,000 from the hamlet, TaDel, Agnico Eagle, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and Atuqtuarvik Corporation.
Ivaluk, a local shop, also lent her a jacket for her photo shoot.
"Thank you so much for supporting me, you've made it possible to make me go and represent my community," she said.
Added Jacqueline: "It was a pleasant surprise how many organizations were willing to support her and were happy to see her when she came into the office looking for support. "
