Board considers adding second year to Nunavut Sivuniksavut

Nunavut Sivuniksavut, the one-year transition program for Nunavut’s top students, may become a two-year program, its board of directors says.

At a recent meeting in Ottawa, the board set the establishment of a second year as its “top priority.”

Qajaaq Ellsworth, chairman of Nunavut Sivuniksavut’s board, said extending the program wouldn’t involve changing its focus or even increasing the cost of the current program.

“It’s not going to cost much more,” Ellsworth said.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the three regional Inuit economic development associations, and Indian Affairs and Northern Development now chip in the $400,000 a year it costs to run the program for about 15 participants in downtown Ottawa.

The operating budget is only about 25 per cent higher than it was in 1985 when the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut launched the program.

At that time, the Tungavik Federation was negotiating the Nunavut land claims agreement, and the program’s purpose was to train fieldworkers for TFN.

Since then, it’s developed into more of a transition year for students who have finished high school and are interested in continuing their education. They spend the year learning about Inuit history, culture and current affairs, earning college-level course credits for their study.

So far, more than 175 students have finished the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program.

In May 2000, many of them attended a meeting in honour of the program’s 15th anniversary called “Ajurnanngimmat” (because we are able), where they discussed the needs of post-secondary students in Ottawa, and how Nunavut Suvuniksavut fits in.

Graduates said Nunavut Sivuniksavut had a big impact on their lives, raising their awareness of Inuit history and current events, and helping them explore options for the future. They said they liked its location in Ottawa, the group experience, the curriculum and living on their own.

They recommended extending the program for a second year to allow more in-depth study and adding a work-study component. They also suggested more links to other post-secondary institutions as well as more Inuktitut instruction.

Program coordinator Morely Hanson said during the second year of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program, participants would be able to learn more about what area of study they would want to continue in.

“It’s still a huge jump to Nunavut Sivuniksavut to college or university,” he said.

Hanson said whatever direction the program takes, it won’t be competing with existing two-year programs offered by Nunavut Arctic College. Instead, it would be complementary and wouldn’t jeopardize the existing one-year Nunavut Sivuniksavut program, either.

Nunavut Sivuniksavut’s board of directors plans to make a decision on whether to proceed with a second year in the near future.