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INUVIK - A recent publication about elders and youth may have valuable information about how to bridge the gap between the two age groups.

The Inuvik youth centre and Ingamo Hall met earlier this year to find a way to bring elders and youth together for discussions.

Kirt Ruben and Mandy Day of Ingamo Hall sit and share a laugh with Maureen Elias. The three were participants in a project earlier this year. Youth and elders gathered to talk about ways to bridge the communications gap between the two groups. Their interviews were recently published in a booklet and available throughout town. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

A half-dozen members of the community came in to speak to the young interviewers for an afternoon of sharing.

Once the information was recorded by the youth, co-ordinators took that material and produced a booklet about the meeting.

The newsletter-style book is called Bridging the Gap and was made by Erica Sum and Teresa Winter.

Winter said the task of compiling interviews took some time, but it was worth it. She said it took the help of a few youth to transcribe all the tapes of the interview sessions.

"Once we had the interviews transcribed, we used a computer program for the layout," said Winter.

She said the goal of the publication is to read like a conversation between the elders and youth.

The original plan called for the elders come in one by one to speak with youth in weekly visits. Unfortunately, visits could not take place since renovations were underway at the centre.

Winter said the idea to have the elders come in as a group and speak with a group of youth worked out well. Participating youth were chosen from the high school.

The booklet and the sessions were funded by various groups who provide money for the centre.

One hundred and fifty copies of the booklet were made and circulated in town. Winter said copies are still available at the youth centre.

Plans call for the publication to be distributed out to the Inuvik Community Corp offices and aboriginal leadership offices as well.

Winter said Samuel Hearne Secondary School also made a donation to the project.

"They gave us $500 for the publication," she said.

The money will be used to make special editions of the booklet.

"We want to put one in the high school as well," said Winter.

She said the main goal of the initiative was to encourage communication between the elders and youth.

"We want to find a way to connect the elders to the youth."

She added that if there are any elders in town that want to spend some time at the centre, speaking to youth, they can call her at the centre during the day.