Open letter to Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction

I have just come from a very exciting meeting of the Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction held in Iqaluit (10 to 12 June).

Many issues germane to solving the cycle of poverty that exists in Nunavut were openly discussed, such as food security, early childhood development and education, income support policies and practices, house rental rates, population increases versus training and employment opportunities, family counseling and support, alcohol-drug addictions and related problems plus many other issues. It was truly a stimulating occasion.

When filtering through the dialogue there was a theme, which to my mind, stood-out very clearly and that is the important role of the elders in our society. From my past experience it seems that all too often the voices of the elders are not being heard, or, if being heard, are not completely understood.

Elders and older adults often express thoughts through stories that tell a message or messages. Regrettably, and on too many occasions, the message is not understood by the casual listener.

Most elders and adults are the guardians of our basic cultural values and principles of life that are the fundamental blocks of our survival. We need to listen to them.

As a society we are experiencing so many disrupting changes in our life and our lifestyle that we seem to ignore what our elders are saying – quite often with the impression that they (wise elders and adults) are not in tune with these changes and therefore unable to understand what is going on.

Nothing could be further from the truth. They are just as confused as everyone else — but — often they are in a more qualified position to see the bigger picture.

Many elders at the meeting expressed concerns of carrying huge workloads when helping family and friends with a multitude of social and mental problems.

For many, the extra work and stress is very exhausting. Without their assistance we could be witnessing even greater breakdowns in our society. They are the unsung heroes in each and every community.

They need to be involved, either directly or indirectly, in the health and well-being programs – from family planning and early childhood development programs to addressing elder needs, especially as this segment of the population is increasing.

I applaud the amount of time and respect given to those elders at the roundtable discussion.

Joe Karetak of Arviat is currently a one-man spokesperson for the elders. His style is to talk directly with every elder in order to learn and understand his or her concerns and problems.

Perhaps we need to learn from his example and create ways to talk more directly with this important, but sometimes neglected, group of people.

Frank Pearce
Iqaluit

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