A good time for a good cause

Susan Aglukark, Nunavut’s most famous singer, returned to familiar ground when she performed at Inuksuk high school on Sept. 12 as part of the 2002 Dreamcatcher concert.

The sixth annual tour is part of a national suicide prevention campaign targeting youth.

Aglukark, who grew up in Arviat, now lives in Toronto with her husband and children.

Tom Jackson, who played Peter Kenidi on the television show North of 60, opened the show with a motivational speech and a litany of puns and corny jokes that had the crowd in stitches.

Earlier in the day, the duo met with Inuksuk’s 400 students to talk about choosing life over death. The participatory workshop included personal testimonies from the two artists.

“I’m not going to talk about suicide. You should celebrate life rather than understand loss,” Jackson said.

It was Jackson’s first visit to Iqaluit. Aglukark attended high school back in the days of GREC (the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre).

The Dreamcatcher tour was brought to town as part of the 2003 Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention conference being held in Iqaluit next May.

People interested in participating or wanting more information about the upcoming conference are encouraged to contact Sheila Levy at 979-5281, extension 229.