Arnait Nipingit Leadership Summit
Collecting, Connecting and Creating Women’s Voices in Nunavut

Iqaluit, Nunavut – September 13-17, 2010

During the week of September 13th-17th, 2010, the Arnait Nipingit (“Women’s Voices”) Leadership Summit will be held in Iqaluit, Nunavut. This exciting event will be co-hosted by the Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council , the Government of Nunavut, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, with support from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Nunavut Arctic College, YWCA Nunavut, Canadian Heritage, First Air, and others.

What are the Goals of the Summit?

The goal of the Summit is to support and empower women’s leadership initiatives in Nunavut. This will be achieved by providing skill-building opportunities and mentoring, by showcasing best practices in all levels of leadership and by providing a platform for growth, sharing and networking opportunities for women in
our Territory.

Who Would Be Interested in Attending Arnait Nipingit?

We are expecting approximately 75 to 100 Inuit women of all ages from across Nunavut to attend this Summit. These women will have an interest in sharing best practices and learning new skills that will help to further their leadership endeavors. We are interested in having representation from a variety of fields that require strong leadership, including areas in government, business, health and social services, finance, activism, trades, community development, and student initiatives.

What is the Concept of Arnait Nipingit?

The Arnait Nipingit Summit has been developed around public consultation with women across Nunavut. The Summit content reflects and is guided by Inuit Societal Values. Special care has been taken to ensure each component of the Summit is culturally relevant and addresses the needs and concerns of women in Nunavut. All topics are reflective of and relevant to local experiences through unique partnerships in content delivery between national and territorial organizations and local facilitators, guest speakers and elders. The Summit is also intended to ensure women in Nunavut learn from other women in Nunavut, with a clear goal of inspiring, providing mentorship opportunities and creating connections.
The Summit will provide an inclusive space where all women can have their voices heard: from youth, elders, politicians, community leaders, mothers, and business owners to artists, performers, and crafts makers, encouraging and supporting expressing these voices wherever possible throughout the Summit. Connections between these groups and highlighting the intergenerational perspective are also key themes of the Summit.

What Is to Be Expected During Arnait Nipingit?

The main events of Arnait Nipingit will be held during three days and will consist of keynote speakers, plenary sessions, break-out sessions and workshops. The Summit will also feature evening entertainment including a traditional community feast, opening and closing ceremonies, and side events that encompass and demonstrate the breadth of women’s formal, informal, and traditional leadership in the North. These will include a Women’s Work Arts & Crafts show, a Film Festival featuring the award-winning Arnait Video Collective and documentaries by up-and-coming filmmakers, a special arts exhibition focusing on women artists at the Nunatta Museum, and a presentation of variety of talented Nunavummiut performers.

What is the Main Focus of Arnait Nipingit?

Professional women’s organizations have been invited to co-lead workshops that will focus on one of six leadership topics. These topics include: Women in Business, Women’s Voices in Politics, Women’s Human Rights, Traditional Leadership, Women’s Personal growth & Development, and Community Development. Women will have the opportunity to select and participate in these workshops throughout the Summit. Based on feedback and evaluation, these workshops will be developed further as specific community workshops as a specific long term output of the event.

Where Can I Find More Information?

More information will shortly be made available on the Qulliit Status of Women Council website (www.qnsw.ca). Your local hamlet office will also have information on the event. Media features and a call-out for participants to the Summit are forthcoming.

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Qikiqtani Inuit Association
P.O. Box 1340
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0
Phone: (867) 975-8413
Fax: (867) 979 3238

Qulliit Status of Women Council
P.O. Box 388
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0
Phone: (867) 979 6690
Fax: (867) 979 1277

Women’s Secretariat, Government of Nunavut
Box 1000, Station 200
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0
Phone: (867) 975 6018
Fax: (867) 975 6091

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. is updating the enrolment list of Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Beneficiaries. Please call Margaret Kusugak at NTI to check if you and your family members are on the list and verify that the information on the list is accurate.

(867) 645-5416 or toll-free 1-888-236-5400 or by email at mkusugak @ tunngavik.com