Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (May 05/99) - A successful program benefitting Nunavut students is facing increasing peril due to a lack of funding, says Chris DaSilva, the Kivalliq Divisional Educational Council assistant director of programs.

Conceived in Baker Lake in 1996, The Nunavut Youth Abroad Program was designed to meet the unique needs of young people in the North, and DaSilva says the program has already begun to demonstrate its ability to profoundly influence Nunavut youth.

"It's designed to give kids across Nunavut an opportunity to go and live and work in southern Canada in the summer," says DaSilva. "The kids who finish that part of the program become eligible to apply for a second summer to go to Swaziland, Africa.

"The idea is to build the confidence of kids to enable them to set future goals and give them the confidence to be able to go outside the territory long enough to get the post-secondary training they need to achieve their goals."

DaSilva says $130,000 was raised last year to send 10 kids to southern Canada, but program co-ordinators have had a hard time raising the necessary funds this year to continue the program.

The money has been raised for the International Phase of the program, but support for the domestic phase has been weak.

"Last year we received $37,000 from the GNWT's Department of Education, Culture and Employment, but we haven't been able to get funds from any of the new Nunavut government departments. Meanwhile, we've recruited 14 kids who have worked hard, done their fund-raising and are excited about going.

"We need another $75,000 to run both programs this year. If we don't run the Canadian Phase this year, we'd have no students to draw from to run the International Phase next year and we would effectively stall the program for at least two years."

Adriana Clark of Rankin Inlet took part in last year's program and went to Uxbridge, Ontario. She calls her summer an amazing experience which gave her work experience, helped prepare her for living away from home and introduced her to different cultures and lifestyles.

"I'm part of the International Phase this year going to Swaziland, Africa," says Clark. "I'm a little bit scared about going, but I know it's going to be the opportunity of a lifetime. If we don't get the funding, there's going to be a lot of disappointed kids in both years of the program.

"It's a great program that teaches you so much in just six weeks."

Keewatin students scheduled to join Clark in the International Phase of this year's program are Abbygail Noah of Baker Lake and Arviat's Roxanne Baker.

Kivalliq students slated to take part in the Canadian Phase are Jocelyn Ukutak and Nancy Gibbons of Arviat, Valerie Pudnak of Baker Lake, Sala Eetuk of Coral Harbour, and Rankin Inlet's Gloria Kowtak. Rankin's Jeff Tulugak and Sherri-Lee Ikuutaq are program alternates.

Clark says she'd like to see every Northern student participate in the program.

"The Nunavut Youth Abroad Program should be kept going for years and years. It built so much confidence among the students who went last year and now they're taking leadership roles in their communities.

"We're not afraid to go on our own and be independent because it eased a lot of the apprehension about leaving home and going down south. It's a great program for students and it gets straight As from me."