John King
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Jan 30/06) - An emerging youth population in Inuvik is getting a fresh look at life and a unified voice in the community. The Inuvik Youth Centre is looking to take advantage of the fact that kids actually enjoy hanging out there.

College students Onida Banksland, left, Colinda Blondin and Holly Ovayuak make an anti-smoking presentation at the Inuvik Youth Centre, Jan. 23. - John King/NNSL photo

"The centre is open to all kids in Inuvik, and with the numbers we've been getting, we're pretty much getting all the kids in Inuvik," Brook Land-Murphey, the centre's director.

With around 1,100 visits during December, says Murphy, the centre demonstrates that it's a place where kids feel comfortable just being themselves.

"I come here to play pool and hang out with friends," said J.R. Storr, a student at Samuel Hearne high school.

"There's no where else to go."

So with the majority of kids coming to the centre at some point during the week, it's really a place to connect with a whole generation of young people.

"For most kids, apart from school, it's a fun place for them to be," said Mercy Addo, a youth worker.

Over the next few months, the centre is offering a variety of activities that will help students avoid sexually transmitted disease, become active members in their communities, and learn how to be good leaders. "The centre will be hosting a series of 10 workshops surrounding health in general from February to March," said Murphey.

The centre will be bringing such groups as I human - aboriginal youth who were once deemed at risk - who will talk with kids about having creative outlets to their problems, such as graffiti art and break dancing.

"We are also hosting a regional youth conference that will be called, 'Building a healthy teen,'" Murphey said.

The conference runs March 24-25, and will involve youth from Paulatuk, Aklavik, Holman, Tuktoyaktuk, Tsiigehtchic and Sachs Harbour.

The centre is also creating an Inuvik Youth Council which would meet once a month, says Murphey. "This will essentially be a leadership program where the main aim is to get the voice of the youth heard," Murphey said.

There is no better place for the town's youth to be heard than the Inuvik Youth Centre where Murphey - along with a group of dedicated youth workers - look to affect an entire generation of kids for the better.

"One service cannot solve all the challenges facing youth today, but we can be a significant component of the solution," Murphey said.