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MITTIMATALIK/POND INLET
Two Grade 7 students in Pond Inlet are the only artists from Nunavut represented in a calendar of youth art compiled by the Northern Forum, a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of people in the North.

Pond Inlet student Lindsey Qanguq's work is one of two pieces from Nunavut students chosen to be part of an international calendar. - illustration courtesy of Lindsey Qanguq

Lindsey Qanguq and Peter Inootik submitted their artwork while they were Grade 6 students at Ulaajuk School. They are now students at Nasivvik School, Ulaajuk principal Wayne Abbott said.

"They entered the art contest last year," Abbott said. "Each piece of art formed part of the calendar for a particular month."

Qanguq's work represented July 2011, while Inootik's work is seen in April 2012.

The judging happened at a conference in the Yukon in the spring. Only two schools in Nunavut participated in the contest, Nunavut circumpolar affairs advisor June Shappa said, but judges did not select art from the second school for inclusion. The Yukon also had two entries in the 19-month calendar, which included submissions from previous years as well. Most of the anniversary calendar's art came from Russian students.

The Northern Forum, which is based in Alaska, consists of Northern regions of many countries with an interest in the Arctic, including Canada, USA, Russia, China, Japan, Korea and Finland.

"The participating members represent regional governments," Shappa said. For example, Nunavut and Yukon are members, but the NWT is not.

They convene to co-operate on three issues: environment, sustainable development, and society and culture. Their work seeks to promote ecotourism and telemedicine, and prevent and treat substance abuse and addiction.

Youth involvement is a priority for the group, which hosts an annual youth eco-forum and a special workshop on youth substance abuse in addition to the children's art calendar.

The students and judges could not be reached for comment by press time.

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