Interested in “coming together for children and youth in Iqaluit”?

Five national organizations plan to back a strategy aimed at improving services for children and youth in Iqaluit.

And they’d like to hear from you in Iqaluit on June 11.

In an event called “Coming Together for Children and Youth in Iqaluit,” a consulting company, in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Canada, Big Brothers and Big Sisters Canada, the YMCA, the YWCA, and United Way, is holding a public strategy meeting June 13 at the Arctic Hotel from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Everyone, including children, are welcome.

This past February, two consultants visited Iqaluit to find out more about where Iqaluit child and youth programs are lacking, and to explore how the five national organizations could help improve the situation by “drawing on local strengths.”

The purpose of the June 13 meeting: look at findings from February’s visit, and to propose a strategy for rolling out national programs in Iqaluit.

Children are invited to the June 13 event — there will be a coloring table and juice.

The main finding from the previous visit in February was that a “holistic” approach needs to be taken to supporting children and youth in Iqaluit, said consultant Norah Love.

“We also learned that there are already a lot of people and organizations working hard in Iqaluit…there is not a need to duplicate services, but rather a need to explore how we can all work together to support the well being of children and youth,” Love said in an email.

However, the proposed strategy is still in draft form.

“We would prefer not to share it until we have received feedback and endorsement from the community,” Love said.

The strategy will affect Iqalummiut “by complementing on what already exists and by building on the strengths of the community to help fill gaps in the programming,” she said.

Another goal of the meeting is to discuss implementation of the strategy, she said.

The strategy came about after the five national organizations received an expression of interest from Iqaluit organizations to expand child and youth programs into the city.

And this should bring improvements to programs related to mental, emotional and physical health, by helping kids and youth experience positive feelings about themselves and creating positive environments for kids and youth, Love said.

Some of its February meeting’s findings about youth environments include:

• young people need to be individually targeted to participate in programs, especially difficult to reach youth;

• young people need somewhere to go after school;

• where young people go after school needs to include focused programs;

• programs needs to be flexible and adaptable;

• young people have mentors outside of their family, such as peers, adults or elders;

• program leaders are young and speak Inuktitut; and,

• activities and programs need to be affordable, such a low or no user fees.