Heroes in western Nunavut aren’t born — they’re made

Cambridge Bay RCMP officer Sebastien Ouelette says the Heroes program helps to build bridges between police and students. (PHOTO BY KELCEY WRIGHT)

Special to Nunatsiaq News

CAMBRIDGE BAY — In Room 11 at Kullik Ilihakvik elementary school in Cambridge Bay, heroes are under construction.

Every week there, at 2:45 p.m., the 22 students in Nathan Johnson’s Grade 5 and 6 class take part in the “Heroes” program.

Staff from social services and the community wellness program, along with members of the RCMP detachment in Cambridge Bay, have teamed up to teach kids that they all have the qualities to become a hero.

“We all have gifts that make us heroes,” Troy Clarke, a local social worker, told the students. “The goal is to feel and act like heroes at the end of this [program].”

Starting Nov. 4, and running once a week for the next 13 weeks, Clarke, Christine Aye, the town’s Justice Outreach Worker, and RCMP officer Sebastien Ouellette will help work through a Heroes activity book provided to the students.

“It’s good to give back to the community outside of the typical lines of work,” said Ouellette, who has been an RCMP officer for just over six years. “We want the kids to really open up to us.”

This is the program’s second year in Cambridge Bay. Last year, a group of high school students participated but this year the program was looking for different results.

“[This year] we wanted to explore the program with younger kids and help them transition into high school and see how that works,” said Ouellette.

Main subject areas covered in the Heroes workbook include self-esteem, self-awareness, confidence, friends and making good choices — all very important issues for students aged 10 and 11.

One example workshop lesson pertained to water; each student was given a full, plastic water bottle on the first day.

They were taught the importance of water in the world and within the human body. The students were then told to keep their water bottles throughout the 13-week program and fill them every Tuesday, when Clarke and Ouellette come to the classroom, as a symbol of fuel for their heroic powers.

“A hero is someone who uses their gifts and abilities to make positive change in themselves and others,” says the Heroes booklet. Organizers are hoping that as the program progresses, participants take those lessons to heart and become more confident and caring individuals.