Our partners...

Tungasuvvingat Inuit is Minwaashin Lodge's partner for the Inuit Youth Project. The name ‘Tungasuvvingat Inuit”—called TI by community members—means “a place where Inuit are welcome.”

TI is a thriving social, cultural and counseling organization run by and for Inuit in Ottawa. The Inuit population in Ottawa compares to a medium-sized community in the Canadian Arctic— the ancestral homeland of Inuit.

Our project...

The Healthy Relationships Peer Education Project, created by the Inuit youth during the March Break Leadership Training Program, is a music video that fuses throat-singing and drum dancing with rap and hip hop.

The Inuit Youth Leaders have had a busy and creative summer. On June 23, they held a one-day youth camp for 60 young Inuit aged eight to 14. Under the guidance of Inuk Elder Sally Armstrong, they talked about Inuit teachings and healthy relationships. To prepare for the music video, traditional drum-dancer Ernie taught drum dancing skills, Madeleine Okalik taught hip hop skills, and Janice Oolayou and Charlotte Carleton taught throat singing skills.

At later workshops, the youth leaders co-wrote a song that reflects their best hopes for a healthy, proud Inuit future. The music video is being recorded and filmed over the summer and fall of 2007.