Our Featured Celebration:  Happy Dumb Week!

It's not what you think. In Greece the week prior to Holy Week is referred to as Dumb Week, because throughout this period no service is held in the churches.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT CONSILIUM, AARLUK and ARDOS... In this corner of our site we'll be posting notes on new people, new projects, and new online materials you may find interesting. Enjoy, and come back often.

NEW PEOPLE

Another welcome addition to our team of associates has been James Arreak, working with Aarluk and Consilium in Iqaluit. A highly regarded Iqaluit-based consultant, James has a degree in Business Administration and broad experience in business planning, policy development, program evaluations and facilitation. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Nunavut Trust, and is a former Director for the Government of Nunavut's Department of Finance. James is fluent in Inuktitut and English, and has been a moderator and facilitator for a variety of projects in Nunavut.

NEW PROJECTS

Greg Smith will be conducting research on indigenous language and cultural protection in New Zealand and Hawaii in April as part of a project leading to the development of policies for Inuktitut in Nunavik. This trip marks Greg's first return to New Zealand since he lived and worked there in the late 1970's, and is a working holiday. As a journalist at the time, he covered Maori marches for land rights, and took part in numerous cultural events on Maraes (Maori communities). He is interested in following up on measures taken to protect and enhance Maori language and culture during the intervening years. Native Hawaiians have also borrowed ideas from the Maoris and have been actively promoting their own language and culture through immersion schools, broadcasting and other activities. These experiences are of interest to Canadian Aboriginal groups working to promote, preserve and protect their own languages.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Ian Kenney returned safe and sound from a trip to Nunavik, conducting community consultation as part of a special Avataq project to help Inuit artists access funding from the  Canada Council for the Arts. Project leader Terry Rudden and Ian will be producing a communication strategy for the end of March, based on interviews and community discussions held in Kujjuaq, Inukjuaq and Nain. Pictured right: Jobie Ohaituk, Ian Kenney,  Tuamusi Echalook, Juani Aculiak, Charlie Inukpuk, Daniellie Inukpuk, Charlie Iqaluk,  Adamie Ningeok, and Elisapi Inukpuk.

Ron Ryan, Terry Rudden and Ian Kenney are continuing the development of a series of  case studies illustrating best practices in system integration and horizontal management for  Early Childhood Development. The work is being done for First Nations and Inuit Health  Branch, in collaboration with a team of community based researchers.

 

Development of a sectoral training strategy to support the roll-out of broadband services across Nunavut continued this month, with more than thirty stakeholder interviews, and surveys of Adult Educators and Community Service Providers. The training strategy, commissioned by the Nunavut Broadband Development Corporation, will help ensure that businesses, schools, organizations and the general public have the training they need to make the most of the extraordinary opportunity represented by broadband in Nunavut.

HAPPY ENDINGS

James Forth and James Arreak facilitated the first Health and Social Services Departmental Workshop on "Health Determinants", marking the start of an important new stage in the evolution of health policy and care in Nunavut. The goal of the two-day workshop was to equip participants to both initiate and participate in multi-sectoral dialogue and action on the determinants of health in Nunavut. The workshop was attended by a representative group of forty Physicians, Nurses, Community and Environmental Health Workers, Social Workers and other Primary Health Care providers.

The final report on the evaluation of the Canada-Nunavut Cooperation Agreement has been presented to the Government of Nunavut Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth (CLEY) and the federal Department of Canadian Heritage. The Agreement provides funding for Inuktitut language projects in Nunavut. Project Manager Greg Smith drafted the report.

Avataq Cultural Institute has completed its five-year strategic plan for 2005 – 2010. Greg Smith and Carol Rowan facilitated the planning process, including consultations with nearly 60 people throughout Nunavik. Based on direction from Inuit and its own experience, Avataq's planning committee set goals and objectives for language and culture in Nunavik, and for incorporating these into Nunavik Government. The consultations confirmed that Avataq has an excellent reputation and the Inuktitut language is the number one priority of Inuit in Nunavik. Avataq intends to be an active partner in the planning process for the proposed Nunavik Government.

GOSSIP

A not-so-happy story this month. The OkalaKatiget Society of Labrador, one of Canada's first and leading Aboriginal broadcasters, lost their long-time offices and studios in Nain to a fire earlier in March. No one was injured: however, more than twenty years of priceless historical and document material…video, film, audio recordings and printed archives…were lost in the fire. Two years ago Consilium participated in an evaluation of the Northern Native Broadcast Access Program. One of our final recommendations was the following:

"There is a need to establish processes to systematically archive invaluable audio and visual materials in danger of deterioration, fire or other loss. This is a tremendous historical, cultural and linguistic resource, which needs to be protected for future generations. Options to respond to this critical need should be explored through collective efforts with Aboriginal broadcasters and the Library and Archives of  Canada."

Our sympathies and best wishes go out to Fran Williams and her team.

TEN YEARS AGO

Terry Rudden, working with Kevin Knight, completed a draft strategic plan and schedule for the creation of the Belize Indigenous Training Institute. The final draft was typed on a laptop from a balcony overlooking the Caribbean. From the perspective of an Ottawa winter, that's not a bad way to end a project…

 

 

April, as always, brings a cornucopia, a plethora, a smorgasbord of birthdays. Sharing the cake this month are two Aries - Greg Smith and Leslie Sutherland (April 13th) -and then three Taureans in a row -Terry Rudden (Apr. 23), Ron Ryan (Apri l24), and honorary Aarlumiut Mehrun Forth on the 25th. According to Madame Varga's "Astrology at Work", "the best aspect of a Aries-Taurus business relationship is the passionate nature of the partnership. This is an excellent balance of energy between masculine and feminine, impulsive and deliberate. Their contrasting personalities and ability to learn from one another make theirs a positive and rewarding relationship." Why, Madame Varga…how DID you know?

 

Separated at Birth?

 

 

CHECK BACK EVERY MONTH FOR MORE CONSILIUM NEWS, TOOLS, AND GOSSIP.