Arctic Inspiration Prize focuses on grassroots community input
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
RANKIN INLET
Representatives from the Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) had a strong presence in Rankin Inlet this past week.
The Arctic Inspiration Prize is strongly represented by program manager Chris Cote, left, and cofounder Arnold Witzig in Rankin Inlet this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
The AIP is a $1-million prize awarded annually to up to five different teams who have made a substantial, demonstrated and distinguished contribution to the gathering of Arctic knowledge, and who have provided a concrete plan and commitment to implement their knowledge into real-world application for the benefit of the Canadian Arctic and its peoples.
The prize accepts nominations in the areas of education, human health, socio-cultural issues, and environment and economy.
Prize co-founder Arnold Witzig and program manager Chris Cote made a presentation to delegates attending the Nunavut Association of Municipalities (NAM) meetings, and Cote was one of four guest speakers at a reception for the AIP attended by Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak at the Rankin Inlet community hall.
Cote said the main focus of their visit was to continue their community-outreach efforts with the prize.
He said the NAM meetings provided an excellent opportunity to talk to the mayors and senior administrative officers from communities across the Kivalliq region.
"Travelling in the Arctic is time consuming and expensive if you have to go to every community," said Cote.
"To see the mayors, present to them on the AIP, and solicit their involvement and support for finding team members and community groups who can benefit from the prize was our main effort in Rankin Inlet.
"The program has been evolving over a period of time and is now more of a Northern-owned and Northern-managed prize.
"Our co-founders, Arnold (Witzig) and Sima Sharifi, have divulged their investment to the Arctic Inspiration Prize Charitable Trust, which is a Northern-led board across the North from the Yukon to the NWT, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut."
Cote said the board members have, really, become the owners of the prize.
He said they've also entered into a collaboration agreement with the Governor General-chaired Rideau Hall Foundation.
"So, to carry on the Northern focus, it's now, more than ever, Northern led.
"Having it Northern led - for the North, by the North - is very important to us and the program.
"And along with that go our efforts to reach the communities at a grassroots level to continue that feeling of it being a Northern prize.
"The full $1-million prize is only for the North and, hopefully, in future years it will be more than $1 million."
Cote said the focus is on having the prizes generated, nominated and inspired by community members.
He said it's not about people in the south telling Northerners what to do better.
"This is coming from people in Northern communities who want to see improvement in all aspects of their society.
"The best people who can project that are people from the North.
"The communities know what is either lacking or needed, but, even more, they know what needs to be celebrated and that's the term we like to use.
"There are always issues that aren't always portrayed in a positive light by the southern media, and we're trying to take it to the other side and celebrate the achievements of the people of the North."
Cote said it's impossible for them to be in every community all the time.
But, he said, with their network of ambassadors, they will continue to try and get the message out about the prize, garner more interest and receive more nominations.
"The more places we visit, the more knowledgeable people are of the prize, so the outreach effort is certainly working.
"We get some overwhelming support every time we're present in a community.
"So, for this reason, we seek out our laureates, our past winners, to play a role in providing the message of what winning the prize meant to them.
"We want them to speak about how much work it took, and what the difference was in how much acknowledgement they received on their efforts.
"It's really inspiring to listen to past winners talk about their efforts, and to see others get inspired by those talks."
Cote said all three territorial commissioners are honourary patrons of the AIP.
He said they're all great supporters of what the AIP is doing in the North, as are the lieutenant-governors of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.
"By their participation, we're really attacking with our outreach into the communities, but, also, on the acknowledgement and celebratory efforts of what the prize brings to the North.
"And recognizing the achievements of the people of the North is mainly what this is all about."
