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It is also hoped that it can clear up some misconceptions about those who suffer from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
"The public's reaction to this project has been extremely good," said Sandy Steinwender, FASD project co-ordinator.
"It has really opened people up and increased people's willingness to address the issue."
FASD, formerly known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, affects about one in 500 children born in Canada every year.
FASD is the direct result of a woman drinking alcohol while pregnant and can cause a number of birth defects, including brain damage that lasts a lifetime.
Children born with FASD have difficulty learning compared to other children and often suffer from memory deficits, poor impulse control, aggressiveness, delinquency, and hyperactivity.
These problems are further complicated in a place like Nunavut because most children here are learning in a second language.
Later in life, people who have FASD have been shown to have trouble holding down jobs because of their inability to concentrate or focus on specific tasks.
The good news is, FASD is 100 per cent preventable and that is what the FASD pilot project in Kugluktuk is all about.
The aim is to help people recognize the disorder -- and what causes it -- so they can be more understanding towards people living with FASD.
Sandy Steinwender and Apryl Pigalak are just two of more than a dozen FASD project workers in Kugluktuk currently preparing a community action plan to create more public awareness about the potential life-long impacts of drinking while pregnant.
They just held a Wellness Fair in Kugluktuk to officially kick-off the FASD pilot project.
There people could pick up information about FASD and maybe start talking about it.
FASD is a touchy subject and difficult for people to talk about openly, which is why fairs and other fun activities are crucial to getting the message out there, organizers said.
Steinwender and her fellow FASD workers are very proud and excited about their youth mentoring project, meant to educate young people about FASD.
"We are hoping to get youth role models to buddy up and mentor other children about the affects of FASD," explained Steinwender. "We really want to address that population. The population here is so young, under the age of 20," said Steinwender.
Apryl Pigalak is the youth project co-ordinator, spearheading the "Grizzly Buddy" program.
"We're focusing activities for youth so they can help each other," said Pigalak. "We have picked the Grizzly members and the children adore the older members. They do everything the older students do."
About 50 students in all are participating.
"People say this is a good event," said Pigalak. "It's getting more exciting."
The FASD group is also getting more financial support.
While their major funding partner is the department of health and social services, they were recently contacted by First Air, which wants to sponsor an event, possibly their regular movie nights and the sports night coming up Nov. 17. That event will see Wellness workers play hockey against First Air employees.
"It will engage youth in the community for sure," said Steinwender.
