Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Apr 10/02) - Eight members of the (Youth Getting Stronger) program in Rankin Inlet were able to get more in touch with their roots this past month.

The eight were accompanied by six instructors to the program's last winter camp at Dianne River from March 21 through 24.

The program is run through the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre in Rankin.

Youth program co-ordinator Noah Tiktak says the participants ranged in age from 14 to 22 and learned how to work with snow for iglu building.

He says although the program has had many female participants in the past, this group was comprised of all males, thanks to the decision of two girls to drop out at the last moment.

"The youths also learned the proper way to harvest caribou and then skin and butcher their own meat," says Tiktak.

"Those were the two main activities we focused on. It's always so cold up here, our youth have to learn the proper way to work with snow and be able to build their own iglu." The Diane River camp has two cabins owned by the youth program.

The program moves around from site to site, depending on the time of year, and the cabins are also used for a week or two during the char run.

Now in its third year, the focus of the Makkuktut Sangiktilirput program continues to be on improving the traditional skills of area youth.

This year's last winter camp provided the first opportunity for all eight of the youth to build an iglu.

Tiktak says it was a special moment for those participants who had the chance to sleep in an iglu they helped create.

He says it still surprises him how many of the youth who take part in the program are practising traditional skills for the first time.

"It's really heartwarming, once they're out there, to see how they love it."

"They have a great time and they never want to come back to town when the program is over," he says.

"The only time they really start wanting to come back into Rankin is when they want to have a shower."