Kamajiit - Parent engagement with their children and youth
While we Inuit are making great strides in advancing in all areas one are that we consistently overlook is parent engagement in children's and youth education. It is well know that parent engagement is a critical element to nurturing chidren and youth, healthy children and youth makes for better learners.
It is also critical that our "personal spaces", ie. Homes, time together etc. be an emotionally safe environment. This was something that our elders knew all too well and a void they filled by teaching children and youth hands on and by word of mouth, this was quality time, this was where our children and youth knew they could challenge, learn, expand knowledge, ask questions. This "emotional" time has become so minimal to the point of it being non existent that our children and youth look to fill this emotional void in other ways, if this void becomes too deep, the consequence is often hopelessness and an over all sense of uselessness and consequently, suicide. It is up to us to fill that void.
Kamajiit is a program that will assist in re-engaging parents with their children and youth. by observing, supporting and just simply being present, parents will show support for their respective children/youth.
January 2012
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut
September-December 2011
Kamajiit report
Kuujuaq
November 2011
A date had been set by the Kuujuaq Kamajiit Committee to launch the Kamajiit program, this however has been delayed and I am looking to re-schedule a Parent only consultation with the potential Kamajiit program participants.
Sept 29-Oct 1/2011
Together with the Kuujuaq Kamajiit Committee, we coordinated and facilitated a Kamajiit Information session, inviting teachers and parents to participate. Along with 5 teachers, the Kuujauq Committee leader and one committee member attended. The event was successful in terms of being able to walk through the Kamajiit program step by step with the teachers. This session resulted in the idea that perhaps for future consultations in the other communities we need to facilitate a session for just parents and a session for just teachers followed by a combined parent/teacher session. It became apparent that there is a grey area in terms of communication between some of the teachers and some of the local parents, I am excited about the possibility that perhaps this may become a focus of the Kamajiit program.
Rankin Inlet
October 1, 2011
We had also scheduled what would have been our first consultation in Rankin Inlet but we were unfortunately stranded in Kuujuaq for two nights and could not re-schedule meetings for that particular leg of travel.
Iqaluit
Sept 27-29/2011
An information session was facilitated in Iqaluit on Sept the 27th, this event was promoted through radio and posters but poorly attended and so the decision has been made to suspend efforts in Iqaluit for the time being and to focus on Cambridge Bay and Kuujuaq and to divert resources time and energies to those two communities and to begin consultations in Rankin Inlet and in Labrador.
Cambridge Bay
Oct 23-24/2011
As part of the commitment to Health Canada and to the ACYF, we were also able to facilitate an information session in Cambridge Bay (second consultation visit for 2011), due to unfortunate events in the community the session was attended only by teachers and we are coordinating another consultation January 2012.
