Four Nunavut orgs up for $10-million award for suicide prevention project

Kevin Karyak and Jasper Pootoogook work during a te(a)ch session in Baker Lake in March 2017. After receiving $1.7 million in federal funding last year to expand the territory’s te(a)ch program, Pinnguaq and three other organizations want to integrate the program into a project with a larger focus on suicide prevention. (FILE PHOTO)

A Nunavut-based suicide prevention initiative has been shortlisted for a $10-million prize.

A collaboration of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities, the Pinnguaq Association, the Embrace Life Council and Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre has resulted in a project, representing all 25 communities of Nunavut, being selected as a finalist in the Smart Cities Challenge $10-million prize.

The project, “Community, Connectivity and Digital Access for Suicide Prevention in Nunavut,” was developed by the four organizations between January and April 2018. Its goal is to reduce the risk of suicide in Nunavut.

The measures proposed by the project include:

• te(a)ch, a free K-12 computer science curriculum for youth in Nunavut, with digital content and materials that are reflective of Inuit culture.

• Mesh networks and local intranets in each community “to provide affordable, safe, democratic, and Inuit-led communications that mobilize electronic services for mental health and wellness and share resources,” a joint release said.

• Gamified interventions, featuring opportunities for playing and making games through computer-based mechanics made by and for Inuit, which would have a framework of cultural safety and trauma-informed care.

• 211 Nunavut App to centralize medical information that is accessible in Inuktitut, including local resources and options for treatment.

The four organizations will now receive a contribution of $250,000 to develop their final application for one of two $10-million grand prizes.

“This is a great opportunity to implement a series of initiatives that can measurably affect all 25 communities in Nunavut,” says Brian Fleming, the executive director of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities.

The winners of the Smart Cities Challenge will be announced in the spring of 2019.

Nunavut’s Quality of Life Secretariat has money to hand out

Other Nunavut-based projects with a focus on suicide prevention can apply to the territory’s Quality of Life Secretariat, which is now accepting funding proposals until the end of March 2019.

Non-profit organizations and community governments in Nunavut are encouraged to submit funding proposals for community-led projects focused on suicide prevention, intervention and post-intervention, the GN said in a recent release.

Activities that are eligible include, but are not limited to:

• Strategic planning

• Research related to wellness promotion

• Community training

• Social emotional learning

• Capital planning

• Reducing impulsive behaviour

• Support networks

• Other innovative suicide-prevention wellness initiatives

The GN said you can apply for multiple eligible activities, depending on your community’s needs.

And there is no deadline for applications. Submissions will be accepted throughout the 2018-19 fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2019.

For more information or an application, you can contact inuusivutanninaqtuq@gov.nu.ca.