A Christmas-themed movie played at the Astro Theatre in Iqaluit on Wednesday, Dec. 14, but there was an unusual lead up to the event.
The event was set up so that youth could visit various stations before entering the movie room. Those stations included representatives from Nunavut mental health, GN health, population health and the Law Society of Nunavut.
“We had youth come in and they had really good questions. It’s always good to be able to connect with the population and share information,” said Nalini Vaddapalli, CEO of the Law Society of Nunavut.
The goal of the event was to inform youth of various concepts surrounding the consumption of alcohol and cannabis.
“There was a drunk goggles activity, true or false questions about alcohol and cannabis consumption,” added Romy Leclerc, projects and politics coordinator with the law society.
The society’s table had a family lawyer present who answered questions about the legal framework around the consumption of alcohol and cannabis.
“Youth asked questions about the ways dry communities and restrictions were functioning around Nunavut. Sometimes we forget Nunavut’s system for alcohol restriction is much different than other provinces and territories and a lot of young people have questions about that,” explained Leclerc.
The society’s representatives emphasized how having a holistic approach is very important when embarking on such an educational journey with youth.
“It’s important that we make sure we have the expertise around the table. We’re very mindful about that,” says Vaddapalli. “When talking to youth, you have to make it interesting for them, definitely not just talking about what the law says — it’s pretty dry.”
The event was initially supposed to take place in Naujaat but the community hall burned down earlier this year.
The law society also hosted activities around alcohol and cannabis consumption in October In Rankin Inlet.
The activity was part of a broad scope supported by the Government of Canada under a program addressing prevention of harassment, discrimination, barriers to employment and gender-based violence.