Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

GJOA HAVEN (Nov 01/99) - Thanks to a pot of money set aside by the federal department of Natural Resources, students in Gjoa Haven are teaching their southern counterparts about life in Nunavut.

"(I) tell them all sorts of things about the North," said Paul Puqiqnak, a student at Qiqirtaq school in the Kitikmeot community.

"We tell them all kinds of neat things we do up here, such as cultural activities like dog-teaming, building iglus, Inuit games, going out camping and listening to stories of the past."

But how, you might ask, would such an enterprising young man spread the word about his culture?

Thanks to an undertaking called the Canadian Community Atlas project, students in schools around the country have created Web sites about their communities and added them to the online version of the national atlas.

The end result?

A cohesive and easy-to-access network that offers concise and up-to-date information about the economic, physical and human geography of each community.

This means that students in Gjoa Haven who are connected to the Internet can readily learn about a number of multidisciplinary topics from different cultures while boosting their own communication, research and technical talents.

That is precisely the point of the entire project -- at least in Gjoa Haven, said teacher and co-ordinator Mike Ellsworth.

"It's their opportunity to show their expertise in the field when it comes to elements of their culture. It makes them feel really good knowing they have knowledge and skills that other people are interested in," said Ellsworth, a Grade 10-12 math and science teacher.

Online for just the last 10 months at the school, he noted that what was intended to be just a one-page Web site quickly blossomed into a wealth of information when the school was approached by Canadian Community Atlas a few months ago.

With a bit of direction and guidance under their belts, Ellsworth said the students took over and produced something that's of value to the entire community.

For Bobby Keknek, the best part about being involved with the atlas project, aside from having fun, is the interviews and stories he can record on the Web site.

"Students have time to do their own projects. They can interview the elders and type whatever the elder said," said Keknek.

For Ellsworth, that's the biggest bonus of a win-win situation.

"We've had elders come in and take a look at all the things they've done and they really like the idea that certain stories and parts of their culture will be preserved and saved for the future," he said.

"Seeing the students take an active part in preserving their culture is my greatest reward."

Schools in Kugluktuk, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit are also involved in the project.

For more information or to check out their work, look up http://cgdi.gc.ca/ccatlas/ghaven.