Elders in our community have been continually talking about changes in our climate, in the animals and plants, in the rivers and ponds, in the depths and temperatures of the sea, in the changes of the tilting of the earth and the impact on the placement of the stars. Elders notice these things because they were trained to be keenly observant of their environment. It is not change itself that is concerning, Elders say changes are always occurring, they are a part of Inuit oral history and are expected. The concern is rather with the rate of change and the challenges we face when we have to adapt and respond to this very rapid rate of change. 

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Today, the younger generations are not developing the same skills of observation that the previous generations did. This further strains the ability of the community to adapt to changes because it needs to be sustainable. In Arviat, Elders recognized that colonization had created a break in this important process. The skills and ability to observe, analyze, predict accurately and adapt quickly will always be important for Inuit. 

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YOUTH MONITORING

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For Arviat, which has a very large youth population, sustainability is secured by investing in the training of our youth. In order to create a youth focus on observing and responding critically to climate change, we established the Arviat Youth Monitoring program. Youth are training in monitoring skills in a variety of different areas.

 

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