On March 4, 2022, the AIP will announce its newest laureates in a virtual ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be a pan-Arctic celebration with a retrospective of the past 10 years. The ceremony will also feature northern musical performances and art. The ceremony will be hosted by northern artists and performers Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and William Greenland with lead artistic director Leela Gilday. Performances include PIQSIQ, Dena Zagi and the Huqqullaaqatigiit Drum Dancers.
Ten exceptional “by the North, for the North” projects have been selected as finalists for this year’s prize.
$1 MILLION CATEGORY FINALISTS:
CANAPY – Collective Action for Nature-based Active Play and Youth Employment
Team Leaders: Maxime Crawford-Holland and Jenyfer Neumann
This project aims to create a three-year, Yukon-wide youth employment program for secondary students in the recreation field and free, accessible, after-school programming.
Ilagiitigut anngiangijaqatigiinnirq ilurqusivuttigut
Team Leaders: George Kauki and Sarah May
This project would bring together elders, addiction counsellors, hunters, scholars and community members to address the root causes of addiction in Nunavik. The proposal includes a new 32-bed facility to support families following the recovery program together.
AIP CATEGORY (UP TO $500,000) FINALISTS:
Fish Camp at Happy’s Landing
Team Leader: Diane E Koe
This project proposes hosting a traditional fishing camp in the Northwest Territories for young people, elders and others. The dryfish produced would be shared among camp attendees and with Gwich’in families and elders in the community who cannot make their own.
Hope House
Team Leader: Peggy Day
Hope House in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region aims to provide clients experiencing homelessness with supports including mental health counselling and referrals to rehabilitation, social housing programs, and labour market opportunities.
Indigenous Community Safety Partnership Program
Team Leader: Gina Nagano
This project hopes to empower Yukon First Nations to address root causes of inter-generational trauma, violence, and vulnerability, through first-of-its-kind Indigenous-led training, certification and mentorship.
Miinga – Mental Health Resource Mobile App
Team Leader: Diana Selguero
Miinga proposes to develop a mobile app that would provide Nunavummiut with a directory for mental health and emergency resources in the territory.
Supporting Wellbeing
Team Leader: Rachel Cluderay
This project proposes to develop a training program that would provide tools and resources for people who deliver land-based programming in the Northwest Territories.
Tuktoyaktuk Community Climate Resiliency Project
Team Leader: Kendyce Cockney
This project plans to help prepare the community to make difficult decisions regarding climate change, including
possible relocation.
YOUTH CATEGORY (UP TO $100,000) FINALISTS:
Indigenous Youth River Guide Training
Team Leader: Angela Koe-Blake
This program aims to remove barriers and create opportunities for youth to learn land-based skills such as flatwater and whitewater canoeing, wilderness medicine and whitewater rescue training to become wilderness guides in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
Treaty Talks
Team Leader: Jacey Firth-Hagen
This project plans to bring education back to the land by creating an On the Land Treaty Education Camp for youth, elders and community members in the Northwest Territories.
Each winning team will receive a piece of original artwork that represents the themes of the laureate teams. Each of this year’s pieces were created by a past AIP laureate or finalist, helping to connect the past 10 years of impact with the work that is about to come to life.
