Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services

Coppermine (Sep 10/01) - A delegation that attended a healing workshop in the Northwest Territories is home and ready to share in the lessons learned.

Fourteen people from Kugluktuk travelled to the Deline Spiritual Healing Workshop, which wrapped up Aug. 21.

"It was excellent. A lot of great things happened," said Loretta Angnaluak.

The week-long workshop brought together people from across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Long-time activist Joanne Taptuna helped to organize and fundraise for the trip. She said that when the delegation returned, she and others went to the airport to pick them up.

"When we went out to pick up the crew, they were all saying, 'when can I go back?'"

Taptuna said the community raised almost $17,000 to pay for the trip.

Angnaluak, alcohol and drug counsellor at Kugluktuk's awareness centre, said she came home from Deline with a, "feeling of hope...that there's help available."

Angnaluak said organizers in Kugluktuk wanted to ensure the delegation was a good cross-section of the community. "We tried to get people in the community from youth to elders...we tried to spread it around."

Taptuna said the delegates are meeting regularly to maintain the momentum from the workshop.

"We're also continuing our fundraising," she added, in the hopes of sending a larger group to next year's workshop.