Baffin youth set priorities

IQALUIT — Suicide prevention and youth centres are the top priorities for this year’s Baffin Regional Youth Committee.

The committee’s executive met in Iqaluit this week to set priorities for the new year.

Suicide prevention topped the list. New president William Amagoalik says he lost four or five friends to suicide in the past year, and that suicide still needs to be addressed.

“We should start raising awareness and let people know that it hasn’t gone away yet,” Amagoalik said.

The council plans to make a recommendation to the Nunavut government to put aside more money for suicide awareness and prevention.

The council’s executive also cited meeting centres for youth as a top priority. Six Baffin communities are expected to receive youth centres under a federal funding program.

But the BRYC wants seven other Baffin communities to get funding. The Qikiqtani Inuit Association’s board of directors recently resolved to help all communities find money for youth centres.