Kuujjuaq, QC – Thursday September 28, 2017 – Makivvik applauds two recent education related events for Nunavik. First the education panel organized by the Qarjuit Youth Council this week to discuss the status of education was by all accounts a huge success. The panel was made up of Makivvik President Jobie Tukkiapik, Kativik School Board President Alicie Nalukturuk, and two former College students, Leah May and Navarana Kleist. The panel on Education was the first of its kind in the region and was held during the Annual Meeting of Qarjuit Youth Council. It was broadcast “live” on TNI Regional Radio. Makivvik salutes the efforts and wisdom of Qarjuit and encourage them to strive on.
Secondly in Montreal last week the launching of Nunavik Sivunitsavut (NS) is something we can all be very proud of and wish for its great success. The Nunavik Sivunitsavut program in Montreal is located at the Avataq Cultural Institute office. The official opening ceremony took place on September 20th, at Club Atwater.
“I was pleased to visit the first year students in mid-September,” said Makivvik President Jobie Tukkiapik who was attending an elder’s conference in Kuujjuaraapik the day of the NS opening. “I spoke to them about what it was like to be one of the first Inuk pilots in Nunavik, training in the South and eventually becoming a pilot at Air Inuit. I saw a group of 18 students with a lot of hope for their future. I told them that Makivvik, and all Nunavik organizations encourage everyone in their studies ahead, and we support and encourage the teachers at NS.”
The program is funded thanks to a grant of slightly over $665-thousand from the department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). Makivvik has contributed $80,000 towards the first year of the program.
The funding will provide post-secondary courses where Nunavik youth can learn about Inuit history, language, culture, politics and governance. The program is the first of its kind for Nunavik and is designed to graduate students with a better than average knowledge of their Inuit heritage. It’s to prepare Inuit youth for further post-secondary studies, develop skills relevant to positions in Nunavik institutions, and support the creation of a critical mass of culturally confident youth equipped to lead the political and social future of Nunavik and beyond. The initiative is also a response to what Nunavik youth told the Parnasimautik consultations.
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Contact:
William Tagoona
Communications Coordinator and Media Relations
Makivvik
Tel. 819-964-2925
wtagoona@makivik.org
www.makivik.org
Makivvik is the land claims organization mandated to manage the heritage funds of the Inuit of Nunavik provided for under the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement. Makivvik’s role includes the administration and investment of these funds and the promotion of economic growth by providing assistance for the creation of Inuit-operated businesses in Nunavik. Makivvik promotes the preservation of Inuit culture and language as well as the health, welfare, relief of poverty, and education of Inuit in the communities