IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
Troy Clarke aims to improve the lives of Cambridge Bay residents and empower those who are struggling.
Troy Clarke: Has been a social worker in Cambridge Bay for the past 13 months. |
As a social worker in the Kitikmeot community for the past 13 months, Clarke deals with child protection and adult issues - from people just having a bad day to those in need of mental health care or help with addictions.
"I like to take a situation and as much as possible, put it back to the people and allow them to do what needs to be done to solve the problem," he said.
"I am here to show them the resources that are available and try to advocate to them to empower themselves to make the difference or the change that needs to be done."
Forty-three community social services workers offer help to residents across the territory, along with nine area supervisors and four regional program managers and/or directors.
Clarke, 38, worked for a large retailer as a regional supervisor for loss prevention before starting his social worker career four years ago.
"I saw a lot of social problems when I did that job and it kind of just moved me more into the social worker field," said Clarke.
The married father of three was born and raised on Vancouver Island. He holds a diploma in social work from North Island College and a degree in justice from Royal Roads University in Victoria.
When work was done at the end of the day at his previous job, said Clarke, he'd go home and he'd be anonymous. When work is done for the day in Cambridge Bay, he added it's not uncommon for people to come up to him to talk about their problems after work.
"The social issues up here are the same issues that are down south," said Clarke. "Maybe a little bit more prevalent here because you're an isolated community so you see it every day, you live within the community, you're close to the people within the community. Therefore, things become much more magnified."
Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott recently recognized Social Work Week, from March 17 to 23, in Nunavut.
"I am proud to rise in my place every year to recognize the hard work and effort of our social workers," he said on March 18. "However, they deserve that recognition each and every day."
