Praalvik Kabru Friendship Center (PKFC) is launching a new healthy lifestyle initiative program in Rankin Inlet this month.
Pera Sharp, executive director of PKFC, said discussions began with the addictions department in November this year to strengthen community engagement.
Sharp said PKFC had originally planned to implement a Healthy January initiative, but decided a Healthy February would be more appropriate as the Christmas holidays ended and staff returned to work. It is said that he did.
This timing has given the Friendship Center enough time to begin coordinating and planning a full month of February events for the entire community to enjoy.
“So we started brainstorming about different types of events to have, starting with a staff meeting in January about having a healthy event in February,” Sharp said.
“The whole tire thing was a team building exercise. We have about 40 people, and the conversations that were happening there were phenomenal.
“Just watching the staff have discussions and plan events was really great.
“So my role was to keep them talking, keep them moving forward, and get this off the ground.”
Sharp said the village was generous in donating a community center and drop-in center at no cost to accommodate PKFC's February lineup.
Some of the confirmed events include craft nights and board games at the drop-in center on Tuesday nights from 6pm to 8pm for all ages.
“Our Wednesday events will be a little different, with our first event kicking off with a kids pizza party from 4 to 5:30 p.m.,” Sharp said.
“We encourage all the kids in our school to come to our drop-in center and have pizza with us. We don’t know how many kids will come, so we’re ready for our first pizza night. I think there are about 60 pizzas.
“It's an event where kids come together and talk. It's about showing them that there are organizations out there to support children and teens who may be affected by things like alcohol in the family or peer pressure.”
Sharp said Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be aimed at younger audiences, while Thursdays and Fridays will focus on activities for adults.
“We also plan to host a treasure hunt and collaborate with Nunavut Arctic University to host a college student night, inviting them into our building and serving them traditional food.”
Sharp said college night is important because college students come from all over, not just Rankin Inlet. At PKFC, we have so many programs to offer, including a spousal abuse program, addictions department, mental health department, various counseling services, men's programs, prenatal programs, etc. I'll explain what's going on.
“So we want to introduce college students to all the different programming that we have,” Sharp said.
“We have a good feeling about this program. The initial response we have already received on our Facebook page has been phenomenal. We have received a lot of likes and a lot of shares…
“We want to see everyone in the Rankin Inlet community having fun, and we want to respect everyone's desire to live a healthier lifestyle without drugs and alcohol.”
—Written by Darrell Greer
