Nunavut Arctic College instructor wins national award

Distinguished Service Award for northern Canada goes to Kevin McGill of Cambridge Bay

By NUNATSIAQ NEWS

Kevin McGill of Cambridge Bay is this year's recipient of the Distinguished Service Award (Northern Canada) from the Canadian Association of Social Workers. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)


Kevin McGill of Cambridge Bay is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Service Award (Northern Canada) from the Canadian Association of Social Workers. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

As part of National Social Work Week, the Canadian Association of Social Workers awarded Nunavut Arctic College’s Kevin McGill with this year’s “distinguished service award” for northern Canada.

McGill is the senior instructor for the college’s social services program in Cambridge Bay.

The award recognizes McGill’s dedication to excellence in education for Nunavummiut and his work in connecting his students to their peers in the rest of the North as well as the circumpolar world, a statement on the award said.

“Our students aren’t just coming for the credential,” McGill said. “They want the education that comes with the credential. They know the difference now and are hungry to learn. And they want that for their children as well, so we, the educators, need to keep getting better at what we do.”

The nomination for the award comes from social workers in the North through the association of social workers in northern Canada.

“Social workers in the North are doing such an amazing job. Our slogan is ‘More than Just …’ as in we are doing much more than just what you may know us for. For my work to be singled out like this, well, I feel very humble and grateful,” McGill said.

Nunavut social workers deal with child protection, domestic violence, mental health and addictions issues.

When asked what changes he is seeing at Arctic College, McGill said “today’s Inuit students are defining themselves.”

“They aren’t waiting for someone else to say they are Inuit because they did this or did that. They are Inuit because they are Inuit and they are proud to be Inuit,” he said.

The award was presented to McGill March 22 at a Social Work Week get-together in Cambridge Bay.

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