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A student in the Moms for Credit class, Naomi Hikolok, far left, was recently given a baby shower by her fellow participants. Sitting next to her was her partner, Koaha Kakolak, her father, Bernie Atatahak, her great grandmother, Mary Minilgak, and her grandmother, Lena Minilgak. - photo courtesy of George Illaszewicz

IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - A new course in Cambridge Bay is giving young mothers some of what they need to stay in school.

Moms for Credit is a pilot program being offered at Kiilinik high school in partnership with a number of community agencies involved in the promotion of wellness for mothers. It helps prepare expectant mothers for pregnancy and the responsibilities of caregiving, while giving them credit towards obtaining their high school diploma.

For Kiilinik student Naomi Hikoalok, who is expecting her baby in November, the course is also an opportunity to draw strength from the other young women in the class.

"They've been really supportive," she said. "It helps us stay in school and we'll get more support from a group of girls."

While the course is geared towards teen moms, there are other students, such as Hikoalok's friend Janine Angohiatok, who enrolled in the program chiefly to be there for their classmates.

"I was just in this class to support Naomi, one of my best friends, and I wanted to prepare for when I want to be a mother someday," Angohiatok said

According to Ermie Leblanc, co-ordinator and creator of the Moms for Credit program, the most valuable aspect of the course is the support the young women are able to give one another.

"That's the way to help the girls the best is they see that they're not alone," she said. "That's quite important to them."

As a guidance counsellor and teacher at Kiilinik high school, Leblanc knows of at least 50 moms in the community who have dropped out of school in the past five years. She sees the course as an outreach program and a vital first step towards identifying and fulfilling the needs of young mothers, many of whom leave their studies to care for and support their children.

"It's kind of a rounded approach and integrated approach, too, where it includes the community," said Leblanc, who has involved local elders, the wellness centre, community health representatives, pre- and post-natal programs and other agencies in educating the moms. "It's going to challenge us, too, because we need to know how are we going to reach out and help them."

Angohiatok, who will graduate from Kiilinik next term, just wants to see the classes continue so young women like her friend Hikoalok can get the resources and support they need as they enter motherhood.

"It helps the community and the women in the community to become more independent," she said. "I'm just hoping it will keep going for the next semester and throughout the school year."