Bridging the gap between tradition and modern development
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Rankin Inlet (Nov 22/00) - Combining old and new can sometimes be a challenge.
Steven Ameyaw, from Simon Fraser University in B.C., is helping a group of Nunavummiut bridge that gap.
Ameyaw, who is teaching a community and economic development course at Nunavut Arctic College's Kivalliq campus, says the focus today is on profits, and when that is mixed with Inuit traditional values, they often crash.
"It's a challenge that must be faced and everyone must make their own choice," says Ameyaw.
"This is the first time a program addresses both modern and traditional values and it has the ability to help many people adapt and prepare them for the choices they will have to make."
Adult students from across the territory are taking the course, and credits can be applied toward a management studies certificate.
Laura Kowmuk, a Rankin councillor and business development officer who is taking the course, says it helped her realize she was using the right approach in combining traditional and modern values.
"I work with federal people negotiating policies and procedures and then Inuit people and the concerns of their businesses," says Kowmuk.
"I didn't want to really let go of all my traditional values and this helped me learn how to best combine the two."
Coral Harbour senior administration officer Imelda Angootealuk says the course provided her with insight into how the roots of economic development start and how to enhance them.
"The next course like this should involve all the SAOs and CEDOs (community economic development officers).
"I found it really helped me distinguish my role when it comes to economic development."
Coral CEDO, Lizzie Angootealuk, says she doesn't have much of a political background and the course helped her view issues from different angles.
"The course makes you look at things with a broader perspective of how they work, both in political and economic concepts. It helps you understand how people from traditional and modern backgrounds approach things differently."
