Hudson Community meeting in Kuujjuaq - October 2010
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Concrete Steps Towards Action From Breakout Groups
Community Meeting, Kuujjuaq, Nunavik Oct 28, 2010
Questions for all groups:
1. Current strategies (including policies and programs) in place to address issue
2. Informal practices which address issue
3. Ideas for support of issue
4. Concrete steps toward action
"Family" Discussion Group
Current strategies:
1. KSB parenting skills program -> networking with partners
a) An Inuit-centric parenting program is beginning in January, should follow up to see effectiveness
b) The group noted the general program has begun but isn’t strong yet. It needs to continue and be supported and expanded.
c) Young parents participate
d) Many of those who aren’t skillful in parenting do not participate, which is an issue which needs to be addressed.
2. General social services
3. Qajaq network (offers couples counseling and family)
a) This network not only provides help with abuse problems but also addresses lifestyle issues and trauma in grieving over death
4. Isuarsivik treatment center
5. Healing project (for youth and adult)
a) funding has been drained, need more
6. Nechi Institute
a) Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute
7. Taskforce on Youth Protection
a) A June meeting was held with over 20 organizations on how to address the law of youth protection [see “Supports #7”]
b) Nov 30th working committee meeting to draft ideas
Informal activities, relationships and networks that strengthen families
1. Camping
a) Even those who are not educated can teach in this setting
2. Natural helpers
3. Berry picking
4. Faith
a) Not necessarily only of a certain Christian denomination but “our own faith”, spirituality in the home
b) Church, church groups
5. Healing groups [see 4a]
6. Relationship within the family
a) communication among family members
What specific supports can be provided to strengthen these efforts?
1. Greater Elder involvement (wise member of community)
a) Could be consultants in how to rear children for KSB parenting program
2. More family counseling (family as a whole and not just men, women, or children)
3. More marriage counseling
4. More Inuit values
a) Not spreading rumors about one another
b) Good relationships between husband and wife, used to be more valued
c) There used to be clear roles for husband and wife. We have to get this back so that men will be strong, women will be strong, producing strong children
d) It is not an Inuit value to get angry when advice is given [referring to teenagers and youth]
5. Communication between family members
6. Family support and encouragement of youth to stay in school
7. Not taking children out of their homes
a) Group cited a story from a certain elder who was taken from his family as a child. Sees no good from taking a child away against their will---must have an Inuit solution to these problems—find solutions which keep children in the community
b) Need to look for a solution to the problem so that children don’t have to be taken in the first place
8. Issue of daycare, children spend the entire day without their parents, need to find other ways to maintain closeness with family.
9. Supporting the KSB Parenting program
a) teaching parents discipline strategies, to be firm and “let the child cry”
b) Supporting parents to stay off alcohol and drugs
c) educating parents and teens about the dangers of FAS
NOTES (excerpted comments from meeting)
-“Parents no longer speak to their children because they are afraid they will have to take the issue to counseling”
-“Role reversal, as if children are head of the family”
-“Everything starts at home”
-“Within a [traditional] community, we were very powerful as a family in every area and aspect, we were able to take care of ourselves, even when husbands were away, we were very capable of keeping and strengthening the family. A good relationship with the family, when mom and dad are having a closer relationship that’s healthy, and we are going to try to get this tradition back.”
-Tension with women entering the workforce but also expected to maintain closeness with children, as in the past. Need to find new ways to maintain this closeness.
Education
Current strategies:
1. Inuktitut in Schools
a. Been able to maintain language in schools, glad we can speak to one another in our own language.
b. Teaching children in Inuktitut is essential, we are doing this now.
2. Teacher training program
a. Good, but can be improved
3. Pathways [should these be separate?] * ASK ROBERT ACTUAL NAME OF PROGRAM
a. Organigram [email Sarah Aero for copy of organigram Sarah.Airo [at] kativik.qc.ca ]
b. On-site job training
[most of the comments in this section were written on what could be done for support, rather than what already exists.]
Supports
1. Community Involvement in Education
a. Currently, many policies are made for each organization. Policies should be not only for staff (organization) but also including the community.
b. Elders need to be involved in schools, they know the culture and ways of life best which need to be taught
2. Complimentary services
a. For people with specials needs, handicapped or at risk, etc… one option would be to train home care worker or provide complimentary training, but not necessarily a college or university-level program.
3. Job training
a. Internship for students who are on the brink of dropping out
b. more specific training geared towards pathways to workforce
c. more in-house training
4. KSB must train more Inuktitut teachers as to not lose our language and culture.
5. Land-survival training
a. find a way to get in accredited in Kuujjuaq-6 communities already do this
b. provide benefits, housing and other incentives for teachers to do this informal education
5. Other ideas for keeping children in school
a. excursions on the land, other experiential learning [practice over theory]
b. Alternative school? Discussion regarding pros and cons of alternative education
NOTES (excerpted comments from meeting)
Many types of valued educational skills not taught in school
“Even though I didn’t complete my secondary 5, I am very capable in cooking traditional food, sewing, making coats, and singing”
“As for myself I work with professionals with doctorate degrees and I am just a simple little Inuk. Because of our simplicity, even though we voice our needs, they seem to not believe in what we express. In the past we used to be afraid of Qallunat but now things are different. Even though you are a professional or an expert, you do not know how to build an igloo or find an animal”.
Note 1: Parent involvement project
Note 2: Comment (from Lisa Mesher) at beginning of meeting about education
Government
Current strategies:
1. Currently reviewing the policies and procedures of the JBMQA
a. i.e.: hiring procedures/beneficiaries
b. Taskforce is done to see what/who is/has been hired, to set goals for government.
c. Transparency for all roles in government
2. Highlighting importance of having educated people (Inuit) to work on self government.
3. Protecting languages and tradition, like the French in Quebec
4. Culture act/language act [ASK VANDNA OR ROBERT]
Support
1. Elders council
2. Inuit advisors
3. Find ways to reclaim pride & self esteem
Concrete Steps
1. Get all the organizations to get consensus on how government will run
2. Get everyone educated on how to run a government.
NOTES (excerpted comments from meeting)
-“This new government is going to have to be unique and not a copycat of anything else. It is going to have to live with certain laws, and have certain laws repealed and redone. At the same time we are going to have to reclaim, revitalize, and redo, to get back what our culture has been and move forward”
-“You [Southerners] have known how to run a government since Roman times. We have to time warp, compared to non-Inuit, and do it so quick. My people are still learning how to drink, and having enormous amounts of problems”
-“ [With a new government], we need to reclaim things we were once so proud of—we’ve got to put some teeth into that, into this territory—we are the owners”.
Culture
Current strategies:
1. KSB language Policy
2. Avataq book and audio [ASK ROBERT OR VANDNA—WHAT IS THIS?]
3. Inuit biographies
4. Strong Inuktitut language use
Informal activities
1. Nunavik survival
2. Ranger and Junior Ranger
3. Youth summer camp
4. Community feast
5. Elders conference
6. Cultural Institute
7. Traditional sewing projects
8. Ivakkak traditional dog team race
Specific Supports
1. Secure funding for cultural activities, including hunting and fishing
2. Facilitators, experts to unity between organizations or communities
3. Local capacity building
4. Push government for flexibility
5. License for guns
6. Government administrator law
7. Create 2 language programs in Inuktitut [WHICH TWO—ASK ROBERT]
8. Self-government would give us flexibility to sell country food
9. Culture taught in schools, culture teachers getting equal benefits
10. More unity with those who have cultural knowledge
First 2 steps
1. Identify source of funding for culture initiatives
2. Make contact and connections between elders and youths
NOTES (excerpted comments from meeting)
-Cultural morals are not being respected by younger generation, need to appeal to youth
-What are Inuit Values? We need a clearer definition
-Priority is to have elders reach knowledge on culture must be recorded before it is lost. Words, stories, tradition…this will help restore identity and restoration and implement them
-“I have seen Labradorians who have lost their language. I am very thankful that we can communicate in our language, let’s continue and not get discouraged!”
[feel that this section should be explained more—not sure what it meant]
ASK ROBERT WHAT THIS IS
Networking: Rangers
Conditions benefits: Housing, trips, benefits
Respect: Accreditations
Credits: Land survival
Pathway: Regional response to education issue in Nunavik
Policies: People’s policy
Ungava Community meeting in Puvirnituq - February 2011
Download Concrete Steps Towards Action - Puvirnituq in PDF
Concrete Steps Towards Action
Community Meeting, Puvirnituq, Nunavik,
Feb. 14 and 15, 2011.
Suggestion #1
A meeting/workshop for youth to be able to voice their perspectives on challenges with reconciling Inuit and Qallunaat cultures (intergenerational issues).
a. One participant mentioned the recent Hanak conference held in Inukjuak, where youth gathered and shared ideas on different topics as a good forum for discussion – there has not been any follow-up since then; This participant is presently working on a website to host discussions –messages board – run by users.
b. Contact representatives from Saputiit in different communities.
Suggestion #2
Develop a forum for online discussion guidelines – what to do when someone seems to be in distress (online)?
a. Have a website where you can talk without sharing your name
b. Transform the phone-based hotline into an online medium
c. Offer a space for healing (E.g.: for those who have been closely affected by suicides in their community)
d. Have a clinical “moderator”.
Suggestion #3
Proposal for a treatment center in Inukjuak
a. Ask for help with completing an application form with Makivik Corporation.
b. Be in touch with the sub-committee on mental health from the NRHSS.
c. It is suggested that if a new treatment center is implemented on the Hudson Coast, it should be modeled on the Isuarsivik treatment center (Kuujjuaq).
There was a discussion around the AA services available in Nunavik.
d. There is an AA group in Kuujjuaq
e. Materials about applying the AA model in the North are available for individuals and groups
f. Issues of privacy in small communities
g. AA was tried in Salluit but was discontinued
h. AA in Kuujjuarapik seems to work well. A member of the Cree community is in charge, but it is open to Inuit and Cree community members
i. Suggestion: Could teleconferencing be used to connect AA groups from multiple communities? What is needed is an organizing entity, to build on what has already been done.
j. A participant mentioned that once individuals leave the Isuarsivik treatment center, they are offered follow-up services in their home community; unfortunately, these services are not always taken advantage of by the graduates of the program. What seemed to work better was the aftercare program that was started in partnership with the treatment center in Kuujjuaq, which brought graduates from the program together with a facilitator, to support each other. Unfortunately, that project had been put on hold because the treatment center did not have enough staff to facilitate these programs.
k. Suggestion: Organising a meeting of former treatment center clients, so that they can offer each other support, and offer support to other community members who are struggling with alcohol and drugs.
l. One participant described the shame and stigma around attending AA meetings. This participant encourages those who have been through addictions to participate and get involved in AA groups to describe their own struggles and how they overcame addictions.
Ungava Community meeting in Puvirnituq - February 2011