Good morning. My name is Juanita Taylor. I'm an executive member of the board for the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program. I'm also an alumni of the program, having graduated back in 1997.
Since graduating, I have been employed in various Inuit organizations, including Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, whom you've just heard from. There I was manager of the enrolment department, overseeing the list of beneficiaries. Most recently I was assistant director with the implementation department.
On behalf of the students, the board, and the staff of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program, I'd like to thank you for this opportunity to speak with you today. I'd also like to thank our member of Parliament, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, for her support in arranging our appearance.
Nunavut Sivuniksavut means “Our land is our future”. It was started in 1985 to give Inuit youth a way to learn about land claims so that they would be available to help with its implementation when the time came. It has since evolved into a more general transition-year program for Inuit youth from Nunavut, helping them bridge the gap between high school and either college or university or the workforce. It's affiliated with Algonquin College here in Ottawa, and its courses are all accredited by Algonquin.
In 1999 Nunavut Sivuniksavut became incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization. It's governed by a board of nine directors, eight of whom are Inuit and eight of whom reside in Nunavut.
The NS program provides Inuit youth from Nunavut with a unique combination of life experience and academic and skills training, all centred around the study of their own history, culture, politics, and the land claims agreement. This is not something that young people can find in Nunavut.
We currently accept 22 students into our first year, although three times that many apply to get in. We also accept up to 10 students in the second year, which is devoted more specifically to preparing for university. Students in the first year take courses in Inuit history, Inuit organizations, Inuit politics, and an entire course on the Nunavut land claims agreement. In addition, they develop their academic and workplace-related skills in courses such as Inuktitut, English, and computers.
Students in the second year take courses that deepen their knowledge of Inuit issues in Canada and the circumpolar world. Some of these courses are university-level, taken at the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, and the University of the Arctic. During their eight months in Ottawa, students also acquire invaluable life experiences by living on their own for the first time, and by learning more about southern Canada.
When students graduate, they leave with the skills and the confidence they need to be able to live anywhere else in order to pursue work or further post-secondary opportunities. With the exception of those who come back south to pursue further post-secondary education, virtually all of our students return to Nunavut immediately after graduating, and pursue careers. They're all contributing positively to Nunavut's development.
I'll pass it on to Morley.