Students protest housing unaffordability in Nunavut
From left, Emily Okalik, Julia Angoo, Carmen Rowell and Joy Angutikjuak tough it out on a cold, windy day at the four corners in Iqaluit to protest the high cost of housing in Nunavut. Elisapee Ashoona, the organizer of the protest, said the group wants Nunavut Housing Corp. to bring in a rent-to-own program. They have a petition asking the housing corporation to start such a program, which would allow tenants to buy the home they are renting. The housing corporation previously did have a tenant-to-ownership home program. “We want more options as Nunavummiut,” Ashoona said, adding “the high cost of living is affecting everyone.” The five are students in their second year of social service studies at Nunavut Arctic College, and this protest and petition are part of their schoolwork. (Photo by David Lochead)
So, they are being politically indoctrinated at NAC? Nice. /s
Do they at least get to choose the social cause that they protest or write petitions on, or is that dictated to them?
A steady diet of right wing paranoia is what wrote this comment.
Obviously you’ve never been a student or felt passionate about much.
Blaming the institution for what its students believe in is just dumb.
I dont know anything about this course other then what is in the write up from the article. but it says “this protest and petition are part of their schoolwork.”
Housing is a big issue in Nunavut… probably one of the biggest. but i also hope they werent forced to stand out in the wind and cold (not dressed properly if it was that windy or cold) and hold up signs to get a grade.
If this was really i also hope they wrote letters to the Premier, Ministers and MLAs. Perhaps since they are in Iqaluit phoned the offices, and atleast tried to make appointments to discuss the issues. Standing holding signs to issues we all know are true will not change anything… that is unless EVERYONE did it all together. but doing it to get a grade in a class… not changing anything.
Because unaffordable housing is so obviously not an issue here, it must be that these students have been “iNdOcTrInAtEd!!
The technical knowledge learned from any program at NAC is nominal – at best.
Students are neither trained in the skill of learning nor in the culture of learning. Curiosity and inquiry are not encouraged.
ALL extracurricular activities, speeches, and doctrine at NAC are tightly focused on the victim narrative.
Not only will no one at NAC deny any of this, those running the programs and enforcing the policies embrace their ability to ensure that students know only what they are told to know
To be fair though, Nunavut, and to a large extent Canada, is focused on the victim narrative. It is the zeitgeist of the times.
As for being taught what to think rather than how to think – you check out a southern university recently? One word for you – groupthink.
Poor you. Blah, blah, blah, victim card, blah.
College is college. A certificate or diploma is the required piece of paper. Your college wasn’t better than ours.
I think the instructors have enough on their plate without you assuming they are, gasp, indoctrinating empathy, too.
Wow, what a result that has come from the OP’s question. Which was a good one. The article says that this activity was a ‘part of their schoolwork’.
If the instructor assigned this particular social problem as an activity, then he or she needs to be reprimanded. If the instructor said to find one social cause that you care about and taken action, then this activity is fine.
If the students chose to a protest and a demonstrate asking for lower immigration, or a ban on puberty blockers for those under 18, would it be equally supported, or are only social issues that fit the professor’s worldview acceptable?
These are legitimate questions – I can’t understand why any respondent would be bothered by them.
Cowering in the corners iPhone in hand we protest any protesting! Sky rocket high housing prices in NU no matter, that is all fair and all fine?
I don’t know if the program in question leads to one becoming a social worker, but the social worker ethics as per the CASW and even the CASWE have a very specific principle in promoting social justice. It is the 2nd of the 7 core values of the Canadian association of social work, and social workers are generally bound to it when entering the profession. I
Whether or not people agree with it, I don’t think you should be blaming NAC here for “indoctrination”, it’s more about the social worker profession that has these values.
I wonder if my conception of “social justice” involved fostering, at the societal level, the adoption of self-reliance, mastery of technical knowledge, financial literacy and internal locus of control and a rejection of victimhood narratives and learned helplessness, would that be A-1 theory with CASW or CASWE?
Well depends on which theory you examine. One aspect of social work is in the aspect of Eclecticism when looking at theories. So if you use a ecosystem theory, some of the items you mention would be in the micro system, but not necessarily reflect the meso,exso and macro system.
You can be correct in your approach, but it may not necessarily be correct for the values and beliefs of others. Depends on the lens.
You could speak to CASW and CASWE to learn more about what their core values are and why they believe social workers need to advocate for systems in place that either harm or not meet those they help. Just like any profession, advocacy comes in many ways depending on which critical approach you use.
1980’s I had a 150k mortgage at 18 3/4 % with a 28 k income. Try those numbers and see why I have little sympathy for a 5% mortgage rate.
My girlfriend’s sister was enrolled in a course at NAC. It began with like 15 applicants… around Feb it was canceled (the course) because 11 ppl had dropped out and the remaining 3-4 were not completing the work nor were they consistently attending class. Higher learning all the way…
Cool, sounds like Nunavut is ready for a University after all…
Go Devolution