NR 06-17 NSC ENG Nunavut Sivuniksavut Funding.doc
(October 11, 2006 — Ottawa) The Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Board of Directors today presented Nunavut Sivuniksavut students and teachers with an additional $60,000 in funding for the current school year. The funds will help finance the highly successful post-secondary education program as it continues to prepare Inuit youth from Nunavut for educational, training, and career opportunities that are being created by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA). The decision to provide the additional funds to the program was made during NTI’s recent Board of Directors meeting in Baker Lake.
Nunavut Sivuniksavut is a very important program for Inuit youth, and for Nunavut in general. It prepares our young people for exciting careers in our territory by providing them with a solid education in Inuit history, organizations, land claims and other relevant issues, said NTI President Paul Kaludjak.
Nunavut Sivuniksavut is funded by a variety of Inuit organizations, as well as federal and territorial government departments. Frequent sponsors include NTI, Kakivak Association, Kivalliq Partners in Development, Kitikmeot Economic Development Commission, Government of Nunavut and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
Despite its significant growth and tremendous success rate, NS continues to struggle to secure stable funding.
The NS program has its roots in the land claims movement, and the story of land claims continues to be central to the program. This additional financial contribution affirms NTI’s commitment to the program and to supporting opportunities for young people to learn this story, said Morley Hanson, Coordinator of the NS program. We’ve seen the positive outcomes of the NS experience and we’ve very happy that NTI is recognizing the program in this manner, he said.
Nunavut Sivuniksavut is a unique eight-month college program based in Ottawa. Founded in 1985 by NTI’s predecessor, the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, the program allows young Inuit to gain valuable life experience by spending eight months in the South and learning to live on their own as independent adults.
The program is open to youth from Nunavut who are Beneficiaries of the NLCA. Approximately 30 students are chosen each year for the first and second years of the program. The program’s original purpose was to train fieldworkers who could inform people in northern communities about the progress of land claims negotiations. Over the years, it evolved into a more general transition year experience, preparing Inuit youth for college or university and/or for immediate entry into the Nunavut workforce. A total of 270 Inuit have graduated from NS over the last 22 years.
For further information:
Kerry McCluskey
Director of Communications
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Tel: (867) 975-4914 Toll-free: 1-888-646-0006
