Inuit Celebrate the Final Leg of “Clara’s Big Ride”
July 1, 2014, Ottawa, ON – As Canadians from coast to coast to coast come together to celebrate this great nation, ITK President Terry Audla and National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) President Thomas Anguti Johnston are taking time to also recognize the culmination of an ambitious goal.
Six-time Olympic medalist in the summer and winter Olympics, Clara Hughes, arrives in Ottawa after travelling over 12, 0000 kilometres across Canada for Clara’s Big Ride, a component of the Bell: Let’s Talk initiative. Hughes hopes this initiative will encourage productive dialogue on a topic that hits close to home for Inuit regions: mental health.
“What Clara has undertaken since this spring is no easy feat. Clara has been able to shed light on the ongoing conversations of Inuit on mental wellness, which the NIYC and Inuit encourage. I applaud her efforts to eliminate the stigma around talking about these sensitive topics which have challenged Inuit youth nationally,” said NIYC President Johnston.
“I was pleased to join Iqaluit Inuit in welcoming Clara to Nunavut’s capital. She was just as honoured to be there with our community as we were to have her. I want to thank Clara’s and Bell’s decision to include Inuit regions in her Canada-wide tour. Despite the logistical challenges in accessing our remote communities, these efforts clearly acknowledge the considerable importance of Inuit in larger the Canadian discussion about mental health and suicide prevention in our country,” said ITK President Terry Audla.
In 2012, suicide accounted for 40% of deaths among young people living in the four Inuit land claim regions of Canada, as opposed to 8% in the rest of the country. In fact, suicide rates among Inuit youth are the highest in the world and approximately 11 times the Canadian national average.
Of the nearly 100 stops of Hughes’ tour, six of those were the Inuit communities of Hopedale, Nain, Kuujjuaq, Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Inuvik. She was greeted with open arms in each of the Inuit communities. The residents of Nain even went so far as to create a custom-made bicycle attached to a Kamutik that would allow the cyclist to make her way through the snow-covered streets.
Hughes formed close bonds with several members of the NIYC during her tour. The goals of her initiative align with the priorities of the NIYC, which they advocate on behalf of Inuit Youth, in the areas of mental health and suicide prevention.
For more information:
Patricia D’Souza
Senior Communications Officer
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
613-238-8181
NT4
