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Courses expanded to communities
Pirurvik Centre set to deliver language programs outside of Iqaluit

Miranda Scotland
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 2, 2013

IQALUIT
Pirurvik Centre is ramping up its programming this year and next by offering Inuit language courses in communities outside Iqaluit.

NNSL photo/graphic

Leena Evic, founder of Pirurvik Centre, teaches a class to adult educators at the organization's Iqaluit office in Tundra Valley on Aug. 22. Pirurvik is a non-government foundation dedicated to Inuit language, culture and well-being. - photo courtesy of Gavin Nesbitt

Second language classes will run in Arviat, Rankin Inlet, Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung starting this fall.

This time around, the courses will be for Government of Nunavut workers and municipal employees only.

However, if there is room, instructors may open spots up to the public, said Gavin Nesbitt, the organization's co-founder and operations director.

Pirurvik Centre was started in 2003 with the goal of promoting Inuit language, culture and well-being.

To run the added classes, the organization has had to nearly double the number of full-time staff and contract workers it has to 12 or 14 from about six.

Many of the new hires are from the communities, allowing the centre to expand its network.

"The capacity we built in Iqaluit is now allowing things to be adapted into the regions," said Nesbitt. "But it's not really realistic to recreate what we've established (in Iqaluit) in every community. It would just be too much overhead ...

"So if we can form this kind of network of people that are working on the same areas, then I think it's a lot more possible to do things."

Pirurvik Centre also wants to expand on its Inuit-specific programs.

Starting in October and November, it will offer Inuktitut First Language programming in Iqaluit and Pangnirtung.

The centre is also considering bringing its language revitalization course to some of the communities in Winter 2014, although plans haven't been finalized.

The program is for Inuit who know some Inuktitut, but aren't fluent.

"It's probably the most important program, from a language point-of-view, that we could be

running," said Nesbitt.

"Statistically and anecdotally it's clear that there are more and more Inuit who are not comfortable speaking Inuktitut, certainly not in the workplace, not as a working language.

"So there needs to be programs that help people, adults particularly, make that transition from, 'I can kind of speak it' or 'I'm not fully confident' to actually being able to use it in the workplace."

Pirurvik's renewed focus on programming is a result of another one of its projects wrapping up.

For the last eight years or so, the non-government centre has been working with Microsoft to develop language interface packs for Inuktitut.

Now that that's done, said Nesbitt, much of the centre's resources have been freed up.

It also helps that the Nunavut Official Languages Act was updated recently, giving the Inuit language a status similar to English and French, said Nesbitt.

The government can now move on areas that have needed action for a long time, he added.

The GN is one of the organization's biggest supporters.

Going forward, the Pirurvik Centre is also considering running a long-term language program similar to what's been done with French.

Currently, the centre runs a series of short courses, which are 30 to 36 hours long.

But if things go well, the centre may be able to offer full-time programs by 2014, said Nesbitt.

"Short courses are really good when there are no other options, but what you really need is a longer term program. So if someone is willing to commit a few months to a process of learning, then we can do it."

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