Naujaat students head to Ottawa
Grade 9 students participate in Canada's 150th birthday bash
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
NAUJAAT
For Melanie Qaqqasiq and Aaron Kopak, the greatest challenge facing their generation in Canada is how to preserve their culture.
The two Grade 9 students from Tuugaalik High School in Naujaat will be attending the culmination of Experiences Canada 150&Me in Ottawa from June 27 to July 2.
One-hundred-and-fifty youth from across the country will come together in Ottawa for the finale of the multi-destination youth event held across three months.
The topics discussed by the youth at each forum varied by location, but included the environment, human rights, relationships with indigenous communities, Canada's place in the world, immigration, diversity and Canadian identity, education and innovation.
The students will share their perspectives in Ottawa with each other, government, business and community leaders.
For Qaqqasiq, 14, it's an opportunity to put into words how much she wants her culture to survive for future generations.
"My honest feeling right now is that Inuktitut will die out in the future unless we start trying harder to keep it alive right now. But not so many youth seem to feel the same way," she said.
Her main focus, and the topic of the essay she wrote to get into the program, is the preservation of Inuit culture and language.
"Our language, Inuktitut, has gotten weaker, and when I hear people talk of some schools only wanting English to be used again, that really makes me feel the danger of losing our language is very real," said Qaqqasiq.
"Technology is playing a role in this, and more youth have to get away from that technology and start talking to our elders more because if we talk to our elders, ask them questions and speak Inuktitut more, maybe we can get back a little of the strength our language has already lost."
She said while Inuktitut is spoken in Naujaat, it's "pretty much all English" on social media.
Kopak, 16, also had Inuit culture and tradition on his mind while writing his essay, but he was focused on having the world understand how important seal hunting is to Inuit.
"I'm worried because, the way things are going right now, most kids in future generations will never know how it feels to hunt a seal. I get really upset when different groups demand all seal hunting be stopped because they don't know how important it is to us," said Kopak.
"They really don't understand our culture, and sometimes I think they don't care (about Inuit) because lots of people would be affected if seal hunting was banned."
He said he's not sure people outside the North understand how much people rely on seal meat and fur products.
"I have a pair of sealskin mitts that keep my hands warm and dry during the winter, and nothing you can buy at the Co-op or Northern would even come close to doing as good a job," he said.
"People don't realize Inuit put everything to use from a harvested seal and don't waste any part of it, but southerners still seem to think it's about money or sport."
For Kopak, hunting seal is a way to connect with his Inuit culture, and his community, as he never hunts alone.
"I feel a lot of excitement when I catch a seal, and I'm proud I was successful," he said. "You're out doing what Inuit having been doing for hundreds of years, and I'd be very angry if someone took that away from me."
Tuugaalik Grade 9 teacher Lloyd Francis said the same people who organized the Experiences Canada exchange program for the Naujaat and B.C. cadets were involved with Experiences Canada 150&Me.
He said he received an e-mail about four youth forums the Naujaat students could attend or watch online, so his students braved a choppy Internet connection during one of his classes to stream an online forum from Vancouver that featured a talk by David Suzuki.
He encouraged Kopak and Qaqqasiq to apply for the program.
"It's going to be awesome for them to be in Ottawa for Canada's 150th birthday," said Francis.
"They'll be staying at Carleton University with the other 150 youths from across the country and be participating in the various youth forums to discuss issues facing their generation, so it's going to be an awesome experience for both of them."
He said the skills they learned at their school's practice parliament in November will come in handy while they're in Ottawa.
"They're a little nervous, and sometimes they can be a bit shy, but, hopefully, they'll be able to express themselves and share their opinions in the forums when they go on this trip," said Francis.
Qaqqasiq said she's excited to meet youth from across the country. She hopes more Inuit youth are looking at joining national councils and organizations to make sure Inuit youth are having their voices heard.
She said it's important for more youth to get involved and participate in programs that can help strengthen Inuit culture.
"With youth, especially, I think having more music, and teaching music, produced in Inuktitut would really help our language. It's like, every little bit we're able to do that helps is important," she said.
"I'm excited, but also very nervous, about going to Ottawa for the Experiences Canada 150&Me summit because I'm not really sure what to expect, but I'm hoping it will be something to remember for a very long time."
