Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Ottawa (July 08/02) - The National Aboriginal Health Organization's Inuit Centre is holding a contest which will bring an end to its search for a new name and reward the winner with a prize of $1,000.

Robert Watt, director of the centre, says the name should be one that gives the Inuit population in Canada more of a sense that the centre is theirs and essentially that they are the people that own it.

"The name should be more Inuk specific. NAHO is not Inuk," says Watt.

NAHO's Inuit Centre opened in 2000. Its mandate is to improve the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well being of Inuit. Those who work at the centre hope to accomplish this by getting Inuit involved in their health at the grass roots level.

Watt says the centre is a place where information can be gathered and shared. "We're supporting and contributing. We are a support group and not a political group," explains Watt.

The centre will focus on making people aware of different cultural practices, while at the same time ensuring that differences within Inuit communities are respected. It will also work to make people aware of research endeavours and related job possibilities.

So far, it has been providing regional workshops all across Canada to discuss health and health issues found at the community level.

The centre is located in Ottawa for now, but Watt says this location is temporary. A location, which will bring the centre closer to the people it represents, will be chosen within the next couple of years.

"With the lack of housing in many Inuit communities today, it would almost be disrespectful of us to bombard them and move in," says Watt. Although the centre doesn't have a permanent location, its logo is presently being completed. And soon it will sport a new name. Watt says the name is as important as the logo.