This is the time of year when people traditionally take stock of the past 365 days and make some resolutions for the next 12 months. Life at a newspaper is no different.

The newspaper plays an important role in the community. It is both a vehicle for news and information and a forum for opinions.

In that field there is plenty of competition. There are several southern points of view available on the newsstands daily. Cable television offers a full range of channels from all over the place.

Then there is the Internet, which provides a link to an astounding variety of websites from every corner of the globe with a speed that is mind-boggling.

In that blizzard of global communication, the newspaper is still an important link in the community. The newspaper offers Yellowknifers an opportunity to express their opinions. People can call us and let us know what they think is newsworthy. Debates over local issues, such as new arenas or street violence are played out in the pages of the newspaper.

The newspaper's editorials also take stands on these issues. Rarely does everybody agree with us. Sometimes nobody agrees with us. But what is most important is the spirit of community debate.

That's what a community newspaper can provide.

As we roll into a new year, we look forward to more debate in the pages of the Yellowknifer. We look forward to covering the issues as they arise and we look forward to hearing from you. After all, it is our readers that point out where we've gone wrong, where we've been misled and where we are uninformed.

We welcome that. In the new year we resolve to work harder to bring the issues that affect Yellowknifers to our pages. And we look forward to hearing from you, the only real measure of our success.

In Ndilo, the Chekoa youth training program is credited for boosting school attendance and offering important life skills.

Unless a knight in shining armor should appear out of nowhere, funding will evaporate next March. Unfortunately, poor attendance and young people kept out of the job market because of a lack of basic skills cost society far more down the line, both in economic and human terms.

The community and the territorial government have learned this lesson before, but they seem to forget it every time they begin looking for places to save money. Both should work on a way to keep the program going. They can't afford not to.