NUNAVUT - Connecting youth with elders and support for families of people who have committed suicide is key to helping to prevent suicide in Nunavut, a Cape Dorset mother says.

Suicide rates among Inuit youth are some of the highest in the world, 11 times higher than the rest of Canada, according to Health Canada.

The woman, who asked not to be named, lost two of her sons to suicide. She said more money should be spent on youth programs and support for families.

"I couldn't agree with it for a long time when my first son did it in 1999," she said.

"I ended up being sick all the time because I just couldn't accept his death."

Nunavut's suicide prevention strategy is currently being formed by a group made up of territorial government workers, along with the Embrace Life Council and the RCMP. A summary report containing recommendations from community residents across the territory was released late last month.

The woman said she believes money used on reports and studies would be better spent on providing programs.

"The money that went to the suicidal intervention (study) could be used for something for the younger children," she said. "That suicide prevention money could be used for the young ones and the elders to interact with each other, let the young ones learn what to expect in life from the elders."

Executive director of the Embrace Life Council Lori Idlout said reports provide valuable information, though she said she can understand how some Nunavummiut are frustrated with money being spent on studies instead of programming.

"To a degree, I agree, but on another different side of it we need reports like these to better represent the communities and what their requests are," Idlout said.

The summary report, which contained suggestions from 251 Nunavummiut, also illustrated the need for elders and youth to connect.

One in six people surveyed said more elders should be involved in "community affairs, particularly youth programs," the report said.

The mother agreed.

"I grew up with a grandma in our home most of my life, I think that's helped me, living with a grandmother," she said. "The elders could teach them 'this is how your life is going to be', especially nowadays, now that times have changed."

Having more Inuit counsellors was also identified by interviewees in the report. The woman said she believes having a suicide hotline in each community, like the one currently offered in Iqaluit, would help.

"Since we know each other in the small communities, maybe it's better to talk to someone we know from our hometown," she said.

Support for families who have lost a member to suicide is also vital, she said.

In addition to the suicide prevention strategy, some staff members in Nunavut schools are being provided with Applied Suicide Intervention Training (ASIST). The training helps teachers and counsellors identify signs of suicide.

The woman said knowing someone is suicidal can be difficult. Neither of her sons showed any signs before taking their own lives.

"There's a point where you feel it's going to be better if you die," she said. "My two sons, they never mentioned that they were suicidal before they died, not to me."