We are proud to announce that the Kitikmeot Community Elder Training Program was recently awarded this year’s $500,000 Arctic Inspiration Prize. As a partnership between Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society, the Kitikmeot Friendship Society, Nattilik Heritage Centre, Kugluktuk Visitors Centre, and Nunavut Arctic College, this project will design, draft, and implement a curriculum and a program to train and mentor the next generations of Elders. Together, we will nurture a traditional economy within a modern-day workforce of Elders, who will provide cultural leadership, teach and transfer knowledge, immerse learners in our language, and guide community programming and services to be grounded in Inuinnait values, beliefs, and ways of being. 

We want to express our gratitude to the Arctic Inspiration Prize for believing in and funding our team’s collective vision, and look forward to bringing you more exciting news about this program as it develops over the coming year.