New homework program is all about kids: Aglukark

Singer and songwriter Susan Aglukark talks about the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation’s Kamajiit program during a recent visit to Cambridge Bay. (PHOTO B DERRICK ANDERSON/RED SUN PRODUCTIONS)

Singer and songwriter Susan Aglukark recently visited Cambridge Bay on a personal mission: to rally support for the Kamajiit Safe Community’s program.

Children are the heart of Kamajiit, a pilot project of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, “Canada’s only national charitable organization that strives to champion Arctic children and youth,” its website says.

To get Kamajiit off the ground, Aglukark, the foundation’s chairperson, plans to visit one community in each region of Canada’s North.

Kamajiit, whose name means caregivers in Inuktitut, has an ambitious, but sensible, goal, that is, to involve parents, teachers and police, as well as their parents or caretakers, in nurturing children in Arctic communities.

It’s intended to be a “simple, at-home, homework program,” Aglukark told Nunatsiaq News in an interview from Toronto.

Here’s how Kamajiit will work: volunteers from the local police force will drive children from nine and 12 years to a “safe” home at 7:00 p.m..

Wherever they meet, there will be about five adults, including parents, teachers, and police officers, and up to 15 children present.

The evening will start off with a circle, where children will be encouraged to talk about their day, discussing questions like “what was the hardest part of your day,” or “what was the highlight of your day,” with parents listening and offering help, when needed.

Later, the children will complete school assignments, with assistance if necessary, receive a snack and participate in another activity, such as art, music or drama.

If there’s no room for the gathering to take place in a private home, everyone may meet in a “non-institutional location,” so that the atmosphere remains homey, Aglukark said.

Parents, whose children participate in the Kamajiit program, won’t be on the sidelines either. They’ll be asked to say what they think about the program every week on an interactive website.

“Parents must be involved,” Aglukark said.

That’s because the idea behind Kamajiit is to foster better relationships and communication between parents and children, she said, adding that Kamajiit sessions aren’t intended to be social evenings for the adult volunteers or to provide a free babysitting service for parents.

“It’s all about the children,” Aglukark said.

Parents whose children participate in Kamajiit should be “committed to the future of their children,” she said.

“You have to get involved with your children’s lives and to take control” is her message.

And all adults involved in Kamajiit must undergo a criminal record check, she said.

After Kamajiit takes off, the next step could be the establishment of a similar community support program for parents, Aglukark said, because she’s been hearing “can you do something for the parents?” as she visits communities.

Over the past year, Aglukark has traveled to communities in Nunavik, Nunavut’s Baffin region and, most recently, on April 13, to Cambridge Bay.

When talking to people in communities, Aglukark said she first tries to make sure Kamajiit won’t duplicate any existing program. Then, she tells people about more about Kamajiit and its goals.

“If they’re interested then, we’ll collect contact information, and we’ll filter through that list,” she said.

The second step is forming organizing committees, which already exist in Kuujjuaq and Iqaluit.

They’ll aim to start up the program during “trial” evenings later this year, Aglukark said, with Cambridge Bay likely starting its Kamajiit evenings early in 2012.

The size and stability of these communities seem to play a role in how easy it is to get Kamajiit started, she said.

In Pangnirtung, Aglukark found it was hard to find a person willing and able to serve as a long-term contact person for the program.

Aglukark still plans to visit communities in the Kivalliq and High Arctic regions of Nunavut to spread the word about Kamajiit.

But the award-winning performer admits it’s hard to find time for Kamajiit as she juggles motherhood and producing a new album — her eighth.

Kamajiit, the first major activity from the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, has received support from Health Canada, Canadian North, the Embrace Life Council and First Air, Aglukark said.