William Amagoalik new president of Baffin youth council

MICHAELA RODRIGUE

IQALUIT — Baffin Inuit youth capped off their annual general meeting in Pond Inlet earlier this month by choosing William Amagoalik as their leader.

Amagoalik of Resolute Bay will serve as president of the Baffin Regional Youth Council for a one-year term.

Amagoalik previously sat on the council’s board of directors as a member-at-large for the High Arctic.

Making it easier for the council’s board members to communicate is one of Amagoalik’s priorities. He wants each board member to receive a telephone calling card that will allow them to contact one another.

“The youth didn’t have any way of communicating with the phone, we’re working toward getting calling cards for the board members. That was one of our main problems, was communications,” Amagoalik said.

As one of his first acts as new president, Amagoalik will sit down with the other board members and Qikiqtani youth co-ordinator Christa Henderson to set out the goals and priorities for the coming year.

Delegates at the annual general meeting held off on finalizing this year’s working papers and resolutions to give the board an opportunity to choose the most pressing issues, Henderson said.

So many possible goals and resolutions were raised at the AGM that it is necessary to pick and choose, Henderson said.

Two of the issues that stood out at the AGM were suicide prevention and working more closely with elders.

Amagoalik said how youth will proceed on these issues will be decided when the new board meets.

“We’ve got to prioritize what we’ve got to do first. Hopefully we’ll accomplish what we plan in the working paper,” Amagoalik said.

The other board members include:

Eric Nutarariaq of Igloolik, vice-president;
Joseph Mucktar of Pond Inlet, secretary treasurer;
Pauloosie Kiguktak of Grise Fiord, member at large for the High Arctic;
Phillip Anguratsiaq of Hall Beach, member at large for North Baffin;
Leesie Akulukjuq of Pangnirtung, member at large for Central Baffin;
Lucy Mary Qavvik of Sanikiluaq, member at large for South Baffin.