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Volunteer
activities include working for the fire department, Cadets,
Rangers, Justice of the Peace and various committees.
"The
volunteer fire department and the Anglican Ladies Auxiliary
help counsel families after a fire. They distribute clothing
and toys. Social Assistance provides furnishings if there
is another house available for the family to move into. The
housing committee decides if there is another house to move
into or if They have to move in with relatives."
"Coaching
hockey (one non-native teacher two Inuit from town) is all
volunteer. The Recreation Board Committee is all volunteer
and the members don't get paid to attend meetings."
Public
service organizations, clubs and committees are established
to provide local support for all ages in the community.
"Brownies
is run now and then. I used to be a girl guide leader with
44 girls in the group. The church youth group gets involved
in providing special church services, picnics, Easter plays,
Christmas songs, and Sunday night services occasionally. Two
teachers used to help me with the youth group but They left
this summer and I'm not sure how I'll do it this year."
Volunteer
work makes an important contribution to improving the quality
of life.
"The
Anglican Women's Group is a group of seven women elected to
fill typical organization positions (president, secretary,
treasurer). Old presidents are allowed to stay on if the group
wants. Everyone works as volunteers. They meet the first Saturday
of each month from September to May. Elections are held after
Christmas, for officers. During the meeting They organize
the next months activities - such as the communion. They make
clothes, mitts, duffles, and sell these items at a rummage
sale every month or so. The money goes to the vestry (church)
and some money goes to their own meeting house, which is behind
the minister's house. When someone dies or is sick, the group
pays for tea, sugar, and a few groceries for the families.
The group gives clothes and blankets and have tea with parents
when a new baby is born. Sunday evening after baptismal service
They have a tea party with the parents and whoever else wants
to come."
Some
people help out around town in an informal manner.
"A
few people shovel snow off steps for the elders, we don't
get much snow here. Painting and other maintenance is done
by DPW."
People
volunteer to help the nursing staff provide good quality care
at the nursing station.
"People
help in all kinds of ways. People call around for rides to
take the patients to the nursing station. Female patients
can get someone to stay up all night with them by asking the
Women's Auxiliary for assistance; there are always lots of
informal visitors. If the patient is a child it is usually
a parent or older sibling that stays in the nursing station
with the ill child. The Women's Auxiliary provides tea and
cookies for the people sent to sit with the patients. The
nursing station provides TV dinners, these seem to be preferred.
If alcohol is involved then someone from the Alcohol Committee
will come and sit all night.
"In emergencies, people are hired for crowd control and
to bear stretchers. After hours, people bring their own interpreter
to the nursing station. Emergency back-up is always available.
For example, someone called the water truck driver who was
driving by the nursing station to help me get a patient under
control. Some people are called on regularly to back up the
nursing staff if the staff is ill."
Recognition
for excellence in community support and cooperation is provided
by the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Hamlet
Council.
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"Qapik
Attagutisak received an award from the community for excellence
in traditional sewing and community service. Philip Qamanirq
also received an award from the community."
"Native
people in Igloolik (last year) organized a memorial service
for the man who organized the Co-op in 1968. It seemed like
everyone in town volunteered to help make the all-day event
a success."
Volunteers
in the School System Volunteers
play an important role in integrating traditional knowledge
into the formal school system.
"I
took out the grade 10 boys hunting and fishing for five days."
"Elders
volunteer to come to the school. After the young man, (this
fifteen year-old boy was doing well in school and was very
popular) committed suicide this spring, the school employees
consulted with elders and the social worker to determine the
best way to deal with the suicide and also to educate students
on how to recognize the signs, and how to deal with depression.
Most junior high school teachers are from southern schools,
so elders are included in the programs to add a northern component.
Anne Shappa is the school counsellor and was able to identify
the best elder or parent to be invited in for specific events.
The elders talk about a lot of different things including
teasing, and boy-girl relationships. The elders are used about
once a year or whenever the need arises; they aren't used
on a regular basis, however, they are 'on call'. They go to
the primary classrooms on a more regular basis."
"One
mother came in every day to help out and is now used as a
substitute. A mute deaf woman volunteered to work in the library.
The school has applied for training funds for this volunteer."
"Parent
support in the school is increasing, 90% of the parents are
coming in to see the report cards. Even natural parents who
have adopted out their child come in and look over their child's
report card. On Traditional Visitors' Day twelve elders volunteered
to come into the school and tell stories, throat sing, do
beading, cooking, and conduct traditional games. Parents are
involved in all the school programs; the school determines
the skills to be taught, and then it develops units with local
content and regular involvement of the parents. This year
the parents were brought in 32 times to assist in the programs.
Over 60-80% of the parents attended these parent functions.
Parents actually call and ask what we are doing this week.
"The school spring trip on the land involves about 130
or 140 students. The parents volunteer with food, gas and
their time. About 40 to 50 skidoos showed up to take the whole
school on an all day picnic. The machine drivers showed up
voluntarily they didn't get paid for their gas, time or anything.
The men brought along an ice auger to try some fishing. We
will try a boating trip this fall."
"A
man in town with a dog team volunteered and took children
out around the iceberg, twelve children at a time, 45 minutes
a trip. A bus was parked where he loaded his sled and he was
given hot coffee and a place to talk with the kids on the
bus."
"We
recognize our appreciation for the volunteers' contribution
in the school by providing food and tea; by providing buses
in town to pick up their volunteers; by making sure the parents
feel welcome and feel like it's their school; and by including
parents' activities along with children's activities. We give
lots of thanks on the radio to all the people who get involved.
"We videotape school activities and have the most recent
videos playing on the VCR in school. Often the parents come
up to watch the videos, some ask to see particular videos."
"Once
some of the men in town were paid to build an igloo for the
school. We went on the radio and thanked them, and asked people
to drop by the igloo, have tea, and see if it was okay, but
not to trash it, and to make sure no one else did.
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The igloo stayed up for four months, until it melted in the
spring...the community took on the responsibility."
Committees
Each
community has numerous formal local, regional, territorial,
and federal committees. Some committees, such as the Young
Peoples Committee and Elders Committee are volunteer committees
that meet on a regular basis. They play a role of varying
importance, depending on the community. For example, in Arctic
Bay the Young People's Committee is planning a music festival
while members of the Elders Committee act as counsellors to
young offenders.
"The
Alcohol Committee is a volunteer committee which provides
social counselling for alcohol abusers; it doesn't just cancel
their permits."
"In
Pond Inlet some of the committees include: Hamlet Council,
Education, housing, Health and Social Services, Alcohol, Hunters
and Trappers Association, Vestry, Youth Justice, Local Involvement
Committee, Tummit (elder) Committee, Enrolment Committee (TFN),
Pauktuutiit (Women's group), Recreation Committee, Parks Committee,
and the Volunteer Fire Department."
"Committees
form sub-committees to deal with specific issues. The Health
and Social Services Committee has a small ad hoc group that
talks to young offenders that never seem to learn."
"Community
committees often provide different perspectives, for example
the Youth Committee wants to sell meat while the Inumarit
(Elders Committee) stress the importance of helping the young
people thrive in their Inuit culture. Inumarit was formed
in the late nineteen-sixties for elders over 55 who want to
help improve the quality of life in the community. All issues
are deferred to elders for discussion; unfortunately, the
courts request confidentiality for young offenders. Communicating
problems facing young offenders to elders enables the elder
to provide assistance and support. It also maintains the elder's
role as counsellor and advisor. Inumarit membership is voluntary,
no honorariums are paid. In contrast, the Youth Committee
members receive an honorarium and plan events such as a music
festival rather than focusing on local issues."
"The
Health Committee also acts on local issues. Committee member
discussed the idea of smoke-free meetings over the local radio
station. They also displayed photographs of cancerous lungs
in order to convince people to quit smoking. This campaign
was extremely effective, reducing the number of smokers by
over one half. The Health Committee structure makes it difficult
to accomplish a lot of tasks. Members are replaced annually
and only one member is paid. Meetings are run according to
Roberts Rules and the rules rather than the issues seem to
take the most time."
"In
Iqaluit there are federal, territorial, regional, municipal,
and community committees. The Baffin Regional Inuit Association
, Nunavut Tungavik, and government departments are a few sources
for many of the committees. A few Parks Canada committees
include Advisory Committees in Grise Fiord, Resolute, and
merged committee for Broughton Island and Pangnirtung. These
committees meet two to ten times per year and include four
to seven members. Parks also established the Baffin Search
and Rescue Committee and the Polar Bear Protection Committee.
Additional committees are currently being established under
the Nunavut claim including a co-management facilitation committee
for Nunavut parks management.
"Board training workshops are offered to help committees
work more effectively. Some committees include Inuit members;
however, there are complaints that Inuit members are not always
used as advisors to the department."
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