Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Kugluktuk (Apr 10/00) - Some 30 people and a full observers gallery took part a four-day Kitikmeot suicide workshop held in Kugluktuk recently.

Facilitated by Caroline Anawak, a health promotions specialist with the Department of Health and Social Services, and Thomas Ootook of Pond Inlet, participants from the Kitikmeot communities represented a broad cross-section of people.

"We had people from awareness centres, nursing stations, an income support worker, school teachers, lay counsellors, clergy people and people who were just concerned -- people in the community who could get away to listen and learn," said Anawak.

"The focus was to very quickly develop a confirmed process for dealing with suicide prevention, intervention and post-vention.

"A community can learn that message in a very short order of time -- it's a very hopeful message and I've seen it happen before."

Anawak says that with more information, there is less fear, a message that was conveyed during the workshop.

"At the end of the workshop people were saying they understood why a family member had committed suicide or why they once thought about suicide themselves.

"When community members learn together, then the community will know how to see things and recognize signs."

The workshop came only weeks after Kugluktuk was devastated by the suicides of two community members within a day of each other.

The alcohol and drug program co-ordinator at the Kugluktuk Awareness Centre says the community is healing and people are being very positive.

"People are very positive since the workshop and we are getting more clients who want to deal with their low self-esteem, who have problems communicating and want to change their lives and that is very positive," said Lena Pedersan.

"According to the evaluations, everyone was very pleased and willing to work together in the region to create awareness and prevent suicides."

Pedersan says the Awareness Centre already has a monthly, internal newsletter that will now be extended to every community in the region as a means of keeping the communication lines open.

"People were opening up and weren't scared to talk -- it's a good feeling to see people have positive thoughts and minds.

"This will help all the communities because we are all talking and thinking about wellness," she said.