Iqaluit (Mar 20/06) - Nathaniel Chouinard of Arctic Bay plans to launch a website addressing issues like suicide prevention and substance abuse.

There is no funding in place yet, but that is one project Chouinard now has the skills to put in motion.

Two people from Taloyoak want to start a suicide prevention committee in their community.

These ideas all arose after they took part in the Nunavut Youth Conference held in Yellowknife on March 4 and 5.

The weekend was a follow-up to a Northern-wide youth conference held back in November. That conference focused on hashing out the big challenges facing Northern, isolated youth - namely substance abuse and suicide.

This recent conference, which attracted 70 participants, was about developing the skills needed to tackle identified issues, explained Napatsi Iola, 22. She was there as a representative of the department of education and as a youth.

"The youth at the group have a lot of passion, but they don't know how to get things done," said Iola.

They learned how to recruit volunteers, promote interest in youth centres and activities, how to write grant proposals, and even got to present funding requests and project plans in front of mock mayors and councils.

The group consisted of one youth and one adult from various Nunavut communities, along with two Nunavut government reps.

The conference was different than other meetings, says Arviat's John Aglukark, 18.

"The conference was a very motivating experience," said Aglukark. "I was able to talk about problems, learn how to fix them and then also meet new friends."

"The biggest thing I learned was proposal writing. I realize now why my proposals weren't successful," Aglukark said, noting he's pretty good at recruiting volunteers.

Aglukark spearheaded the Embrace Life Committee in his home town two years ago.

The Embrace Life Committee works to prevent suicide by hosting fun events for youth in his community, and giving special attention to individuals who need it. At one point he had 13 people helping out.

"Our main objective is to bring hope to the community because what we see is a loss of hope as the driving force behind wanting to commit suicide."

Aglukark says he has seen the efforts of the committee working in Arviat.

"Ever since the summer we started I haven't heard of any successful attempts in Arviat."

"I understand fully that anybody can do what I did. They just need to be given the chance."

At the conference, two people from Taloyoak asked Aglukark for help with starting a suicide prevention committee.

"The meeting made my buddies feel more confident because at first they were scared and shy, and then they learned skills and got to test them out a bit. It boosted people's confidence," said Aglukark.

"A lot of people from small communities are really shy," she said. "So these workshops were really helpful."

A quartet of organizations put the weekend together. They were the Heartwood Centre for Community Youth Development, the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada (SEVEC), the Department of Canadian Heritage and the non-government organization Northern Youth Abroad.

Kendra Lachine of SEVEC said the weekend was "eye opening."

"I have not lived in isolated communities like those in the North," said Lachine. "But I learned that the isolation can make people feel alone.

"This meeting gave the youth a chance to discuss that they all share the same realities and that they can come together."

Paula Knowles of Heartwood says she saw the same thing.

"One of the strongest things for the youth to learn is that they are not alone. It was exciting to see the distance slowly disappear and a strong support system becoming more real," said Knowles.