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Social Development / Youth

Saputiit Inuit Youth Association of Nunavik

The Youth Department for Makivik Corporation mission is to establish and maintain support to the Saputiit Youth Association executives at the regional level, to maintain information to, from and between the local youth committees to the Corporate Secretary, in collaboration with the Saputiit Youth Association President. The youth department supports the youth committees by scheduled teleconferences every month and daily contacts to the youth committees by telephone or fax. The Makivik board also ensures youth representation through the appointment of the Saputiit President to the Makivik Board of Directors since March 2000 after the Saputiit Annual general meeting had been held.

The Saputiit Youth Association of Nunavik, created in 1995, is composed of 20 members of the 15 Inuit communities and holds quarterly meetings and annual general meetings in May/June. Saputiit has grown and become more and more involved in projects to improve the lives of Inuit youth in Nunavik.

Following a Youth Summit in Quebec, the provincial government resolved to fund the youth of Nunavik in the amount of $1.8 million April 2001 the first year and $3.3 million on April 2002 and recurrent for the following year. This success in accessing funding was the result of a lot of effort and support from K.R.D.C., K.R.G., Makivik Corporation, Avataq Cultural Institute, N.R.B.H.S.S. and the youth committees was put in order to get this funding from the Québec Government.

In the fall of 2000 two youth representatives from each Nunavik community attended the Annual General Meeting of Avataq Cultural Institute in Akulivik. During these meetings the elders and youth participated in workshops on traditional life, language, weather and survival skills. The biggest concern voiced during the meetings by both the elders and the youth was the high suicide rate among the youth of Nunavik.

Today, it has running a project they call Living Life that entails youth kayakers travelling through Inuit communities during the summer to encourage youth to embrace life, which its current president Jonathan Epoo has been promoting as an annual project. The Living Life project was begun in the summer of 2005.

The youth of Nunavik also work in the national level with the National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) in close partnership with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). During these meetings the youth had a chance to attend workshop on "Leadership Skills" "Presentation Skills" as well as other meetings in Winnipeg. The Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres initiatives continue to provide funding for the youth centers for the communities who have a population over a thousand.

The goal of the Youth Liaison Officer is to continue in providing support to the local youth committees, and ensure that the Inuit youth of Nunavik have a strong voice and are able to access the resources needed to meet their needs.

To find out more about the Saputiit Inuit Youth Association, please consult their website at www.saputiit.ca