Nunavut Sivuniksavut: Preparing Inuit Youth for the World

2001-2002 NS students with Nunavut Premier Okalik at a meeting of federal and provincial ministers of Aboriginal Affairs. Being in the nation's capital means getting to see politicians at work.

Inuit leaders often encourage Inuit youth to finish school and to get an education. While the statistics are improving, relatively few Inuit graduate from high school and even fewer go on to college or university. But Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) a long-established and well-regarded training programme is helping to change that. Established during negotiation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement to help prepare some Inuit to effectively implement the Agreement, NS has proven its worth. Murray Angus, an NS instructor, tells in this issue of Silarjualiriniq how and why the programme works. This is the sort of programme that should be expanded. Having lived financially from hand to mouth for many years, NS should be seen for what it isa success storythat is worthy of guaranteed financial support from the federal government. Organizations in Russia and elsewhere in the circumpolar world are seeking to apply the lessons of NS and as Murray Angus points out, most graduates of the Ottawa-based programme return to Nunavut taking their newly acquired and badly needed skills with them.

Bridging the Gap

An innovative training program in Canada is helping Inuit youth make a successful transition into college, university and the Nunavut work force

The Impacts of NS Delegates to the NS alumni conference in May 2000 said the NS program had the following impacts on their lives: Increased awareness of Inuit history, and respect for their elders and their ancestors; Increased interest in contemporary issues affecting Inuit; Increased respect for Inuit leaders and the work being done by Inuit organizations; A stronger commitment to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and the Nunavut government; Increased awareness of their personal options for the future; and Increased confidence in their ability to pursue their goals successfully.

By Murray Angus

A one-of-a-kind college program, based in southern Canada, has been earning rave reviews for its contribution to human resource development in the new Nunavut territory.

The eight-month program, called Nunavut Sivuniksavut¹ (or NS), is located in Canada's capital, Ottawa. It offers a unique transition-year experience between high school, college and university, and/or entry into the Nunavut workforce.

The program runs from September until May each year, and is exclusively for Inuit Youth who are beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA). While affiliated with a college in Ottawa, it operates out of its own facilities, and is governed by its own board of directors located in the north.

It is this separateness from the large (and impersonal) educational institutions of the south that marks the program's distinctiveness, and which contributes to its effectiveness. The twenty or so students selected each year from across Nunavut are never on their own when they come south; rather, they immediately become part of a group of fellow Inuit who share a common space and experience, six hours a day, five days a week for eight months. The closeness of the

The 2001-2002 class of Nunavut Sivuniksavut in front of Canada's Parliament buildings. Learning about government is one of their main activities.

relationships that develop is what helps many

The end result of this process are young adults equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to participate in the implementation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and the Nunavut government. Indeed, NS graduates are so well positioned to contribute that one long-time leader has claimed the program "has produced the next generation of Inuit leaders²."

Measures of Success

The program's successes are evident in a number of ways:

First, its completion rates are significantly higher than the average. Historically, the rate at which Inuit youth have succeeded in making the transition to southern, post-secondary education has been very low. The number of social, cultural, academic and institutional challenges that an individual must face on their own often makes the task insurmountable, no matter how academically-talented a student might be.

Design Principles The Nunavut Sivuniksavut program represents a unique model of delivery that has been developed in response to the specific needs of Inuit youth over a seventeen year period. The "program" which has resulted from this evolutionary process is now seen as a successful and vital component of the overall human resource development strategy for Nunavut. The NS instructional team was recently asked by an Academy in Murmansk, Russia, to articulate the design principles which underlie the program's success. The following were identified: 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE FULL RANGE OF STUDENT NEEDS The chances of success (measured by completion rates alone) of any transition year will increase to the extent that it is capable of hearing, and responding to, the full range of needs that students have during their time in the program. These needs may be emotional, social, financial and material, as well as academic. Failure to have any one of these needs met is the primary reason why students drop out. 2. MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RELATIONSHIPS The best way to ensure that students' needs are being heard is by maximizing the opportunity for relationships among students themselves, and between students and staff. The former provides a system of informal support that helps students cope with the many challenges they face; the latter increases the chances that the institution (represented by the staff) will be able to hear and respond to any needs that could undermine a student's success if not addressed. The NS experience has shown that having students together in a single group pays big dividends in terms of the strength and quality of peer relationships. It has also shown that relationships with teachers are enhanced by the extent to which they share a common work space and have opportunities to interact on a variety of levels. Having staff perform a variety of duties also helps to ensure greater continuity in student-staff relations. 3. ALLOWING STAFF SUFFICIENT FLEXIBILITY Students' needs are ultimately individual and personal. The only way an institution can satisfactorily respond to them is if it allows its staff a degree of flexibility in the performance of their duties. This means that staff must be allowed to perform a multitude of functions, and be given a degree of trust of exercise their professional judgement and discretion in matters relating to both curriculum development, and relations with students. 4. INCORPORATING RELEVANT CURRICULUM The NS experience has demonstrated beyond a doubt the empowering impact of using course material that is relevant to the students' own collective experience. The affirmation of their cultural identity, historical experience, and their aspirations for the future is a powerful inducement to continued studying for most students. 5. AFFIRMING THE STUDENTS' COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE Allowing students to learn about their own story is only one ingredient. The other is to forsake all pretence of academic objectivity and affirm the legitimacy of the students' collective point of view, especially if it differs from that of the majority. 6. INTEGRATING SKILL DEVELOPMENT WITH CONTENT The most challenging part of any transition program may be the development of the academic skills necessary for entry into a regular post-secondary program. The chances for doing so successfully can be enhanced by integrating the skill development activity with the learning activities that students find most compelling. 7. BROADENING THE MEASURES OF SUCCESS Education institutions typically measure success on the basis of strict academic performance. As indicated above, however, students bring to a transition or an access program a whole range of needs which have to be addressed if they are to move successfully to higher academic levels.  As long as students are actively engaged in a stimulating and relevant program, important learning will result, regardless of the immediate academic outcome.

The completion rate at NS stands in marked contrast to this historical trend. In its 16 years of operation, the average completion rate at NS has been 76%. In five out of the last six years, it has risen to 85%. Clearly, the program has found a way to get Youth through what, for most, is a volatile and uncertain first year away from home.

Once they graduate, NS students also have a much higher rate of employment than their peers. Approximately 95 per cent of graduates return to Nunavut, to pursue work with the government, Inuit organizations or the private sector. A considerable number go on to further post-secondary education, either in the north, or in the south. An independent study done in 1993 showed that NS graduates were twice as likely to be employed as the general adult population. A further study done in 1996 showed that 85% of grads were found to be active in the workforce or in further educational pursuits. Since the creation of Nunavut in 1999, NS graduates have been in high demand within the new government.

The most dramatic impacts of the program, however, have been on students' attitudes about themselves and their future.

While the program is located outside of the north, the students' focus is entirely on Inuit and the north, within the context of both Canada and the circumpolar world. Courses include Inuit History, Contemporary Inuit Issues, Inuit-Government Relations, and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, along with two skill-related courses (English and computers). All courses are accredited through Algonquin College in Ottawa.

The opportunity to learn about their own history, organizations and issues often has a profound impact on the students:

"Having learned the history of my people, it has changed my view about Canada, other countries, people of other cultures," says Rita Anilniliak, an NS graduate in 1999, and now Survey Manager in the Nunavut government's Bureau of Statistics. "I never knew why our leaders were doing what they were doing, why they were constantly trying to get something. Now I know what that something is, and I want to continue what they have been doing for so long."

Learning about Inuit history and culture is not confined to the academic level, either. Under the tutelage of professional Inuit instructors, students learn traditional songs, drumming, throat singing, and use these skills to share their culture with others in southern Canada. Such sharing only deepens their pride in their identity as Inuit, as 2000 grad Neevee Hanson attests:

"You're so proud to show off your cultureyou hit a certain point where you say WOW, this is ME, this is who I AM!"

NS students proudly presenting their culture to the people of Japan. Students from Nunavut Sivuniksavut engaged in cultural exchange perspectives with Japanese students.

NS students also have traveled to other countries to share their history and culture with indigenous peoples elsewhere. In recent years, these trips have led to encounters with Inuit in Greenland, Maori in New Zealand, Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia, Sami in northern Scandinavia, and the Ainu of northern Japan. In May 2002, the students will be visiting Costa Rica to meet with Bribri and other indigenous groups.

While NS students learn a great deal about their collective history through their course work, they learn about themselves by living on their own in the South. For most students, the time at NS is their first experience of living away from home. Successful students leave knowing that they have the skills, and the confidence, needed to live anywhere else they have to in order to pursue their educational and career goals. As one 1994 graduate described it:

"Staying so far from home, away from relatives and in such a foreign society has finally shaken my grasp on childhood and has advanced me towards adulthood³."

Loyal Supporters

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, President of ICC Canada, discussing circumpolar issues with Nunavut Sivuniksavut students.

The positive change that the "NS experience" has had on so many students has earned it a strong base of support among key stakeholders within Nunavut.

Inuit leaders, appreciative of the fact that young people are learning about the issues they deal with, have been consistently supportive. ICC (Canada) president, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, who visits the NS classroom each year, recently observed:

"In my experience with our young people on educational issues, many want to be challenged with relevant curriculum that they could truly be engaged with. They wanted to learn about our history recent and old, in particular the land claim negotiations. Nunavut Sivuniksavut does that and I have personally witnessed the young people in this program develop not only knowledge but character skills including a boost to their self-esteem as Inuit⁴."

Who Can Benefit? The NS model contains important lessons for those wishing to develop transition-year programs. These lessons may be of particular relevance to educators working with the following student populations: Students relocating from rural and remote communities to larger urban centres Aboriginal youth Youth making the transition to independent adult living Youth relocating into a different cultural milieu to pursue their education Students who have the potential to pursue formal post-secondary but who need academic, social or cultural preparation before they will be able to succeed

Parents and educators, who have seen the benefits of the program on their sons, daughters, and former students, demonstrate their support by continually encouraging more Youth to apply. Some families have sent several of their children to NS over the years, a testament to their trust in the experience they will derive. Today, the program regularly receives three times more applications than it can accept.

The most enthusiastic supporters of the program, however, remain the graduates themselves. At an alumni conference, held in 2000 to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the program, former students expressed a lasting appreciation for the role it had played in their lives. As one delegate put it:

"NS had a profound impact on my life, it changed my goals for the future I went from being a cashier to 'I want to be a lawyer'⁵ ."

Delegates to the conference recommended that steps be taken to expand the program so that "the growing demand for it can be met , without changing those elements that currently make it a success⁶."

Elements of Success

So what, then, are those elements that have made Nunavut Sivuniksavut so effective at helping Inuit youth make the transition from high school to the larger world of post-secondary education and work?

According to the alumni who attended the Ajunanngimmat conference, a number of factors are involved, including:

• Its location in Ottawa;
• The small-group experience;
• The personal attention from NS staff;
• The culturally-relevant curriculum;
• The contact with Inuit  leaders and organizations, and
• The experience of living on their own (with support).

Taken together, these elements have created a program which is having a profound effect on the lives of a key segment of today's youth in Nunavut, and a significant impact on the human resource development of the new territory.

As Evik Ayalik, of Kugluktuk, a grad in 2000, said:

"NS is not the kind of program you'd want to graduate from. It's the kind of program you wish you could take over and over and over "

At the Ajunanngimmat alumni conference in May, 2000, former NS students were asked to comment on the best parts of the program, and the hardest parts. The following comments were recorded from the conversations that took place at the discussion tables: The Best Parts of NS Were being with the group special events (sports, potlucks) individual attentiondon't get lost in the crowd, creates self-confidence course content relevant to Inuitclose to our hearts Inuit history and the political struggle research skillslibrary opportunity to travel exposure to campuses remembered public speaking most enjoyed debating best was Greenland trip meeting Inuit with different dialects guest speakers coming in to give motivational talks or to clarify an issue we had to lean on each other and be there for each other presentation skills/learning to speak in public debates in class; we debated about everything and anything opportunity to learn more about city life, living independently living independently on my own living in the south - living on my own The Hardest Parts of NS Were homework and time management getting out of bed, budgeting and homesickness being in a city, budgetinghomesickness nervous and scared at firstdoubted own ability homework budgeting and homesickness living in the city ... culture shock ... homesick ... fear of failing living at YMCA budgeting, homesickness and culture shock learning to live in a city, it was the living skills that were hard learning to live on your own, pay rent, bills, food, etc. The Impact of NS: Attitudes About Themselves gave me more confidence didn't know what to expecta great year! Gained confidence NS made opportunities to create pride in who you are and what you can accomplish gives you pride reclaim Inuit identity/ keep Inuitfuture sense of pride in who you are became more proud to be an Inukstarted drum dancingbecause its minedidn't care much about Inuit beforenow I have pride felt good about myself ... got to know myself better Attitudes About Life and the Future for the first time I am doing what I want, doing something for myselfhigh school education and graduation I did for my parentsNS I did for me better idea of personal future ... really opened up my mind ... opened up doors opens up world of possibilitiesNS was a bridge from HS to college or university NS program had a profound impact on me, everything I wanted, the goals I made changed NS helped me become assertive, people actually listen to me now confirms one's own abilities and capabilities NS was intense ... I found out that there is more to life than hockey ... it's a cruel world NS had a profound impact on my life, it changed my goals for the future ... I think I matured a bit more from being a cashier to "I want to be a lawyer" I knew I could survive after taking this programtaking on new challengesknow I could take them was important for my personal gain, was able to get a job long-term benefits of learning how to handle personal affairs (sign a lease/write a cheque/ pay bills etc.) Knowledge of Inuit History, Culture, Issues NS made me learn about myself as an Inuk and my people the Inuit I learned there is a lot of things I did not know know more about land claims and living on my own knew more about the NLCA and our responsibilities under it more interested in politics, our rights, having in-depth knowledge of land claims, and our rights the knowledge I gained at NS helped me with a job or to do assignments at the college I used to hate to talk about Nunavut and government history because I thought it was a waste of money and time ... 8 months later, I wish it was a 2 or 3 year courseI wanted to know more you get to learn about your backgroundInuit history and how Inuit lived read a lot of books that I wouldn't have opened knowing rights - going into management trainingbecause of the land claim agreement

NS students in front of the Nunavut flag.