Nunavik to host second regional suicide prevention conference

Mae Ningiuruvik, left and Valerie Lock, chair of Nunavik’s regional suicide prevention committee, speak at Kativik Regional Government council meetings in Kuujjuaq Sept. 13. The committee will host the region’s second suicide prevention conference in Kuujjuaq Oct. 17-22. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

KUUJJUAQ—Nunavik will host its second regional suicide prevention conference in October, and co-ordinators are looking for delegates to take part.

Last year, just over 60 delegates were invited to Puvirnituq to take part in the conference, called Puttautiit, modeled after the annual “Dialogue for Life” Aboriginal-focused conference that takes place in Montreal.

Following its inaugural event in 2015, the regional suicide prevention committee will host a six-day event in Kuujjuaq Oct. 17 to Oct. 22.

The goal of the conference is to raise awareness of the risks of suicide, said the committee’s chair, Valerie Lock.

The theme of this year’s conference: healing.

This year’s conference will likely pick up on work done by regional organizations to develop a Nunavik Crisis Response Plan to address the elevated risk of suicide seen across the region in the first half of 2016.

As host community, Kuujjuaq will have 30 delegates attend. Coordinators are asking the region’s 13 other communities to designate four delegates to take part—preferably a mix of men and women, Lock said, and people who have been affected by suicide.

Delegates’ travel and accommodation expenses will be covered, Lock said, but the committee is asking employers in the region to cover their employees’ wages to allow them to attend.

Interested participants can contact their Northern Village offices for more details on registration. Conference coordinators are asking all participants to register by Sept. 21.

If you are in need of support or have thoughts of suicide, there are a number of toll-free numbers you can call to speak to someone:

• Kamatsiaqtut Help Line 1-800-265-3333 (Inuktitut, English)

• Residential school crisis line 1-866-925-4419 (Inuktitut, English, French)

• Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868

• 1-866-APPELLE in Quebec (French)