McGill researcher Michelle Smith has been helping to advance the development of what stands to be the first Inuit-led CEGEP diploma program delivered in Nunavik: the Arts, Literature and Communications (ALC) North Diploma of College Studies (DCS).
Most residents of the northern Quebec region currently have to travel south to earn a post-secondary diploma. This entails living away from their families for the duration of studies that all too often have little connection to their own situations or life experience.
The new initiative owes much to Smith’s doctoral research and the pilot courses she organized (in soapstone carving, digital animation, video production, sewing and Inuit media, delivered in Nunavik over the past three years. Advanced with the support of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (the Kativik School Board), the program is expected to be fully developed by 2028. Until then, more pilot courses are being offered jointly by the school board and its long-standing partner John Abbott College, a CEGEP in the west island of Montreal.
The goal is to give students the opportunity to pursue post-secondary studies close to home in a learning environment that reflects Inuit culture, language and ways of knowing.
Laying the groundwork
Smith, a Métis educator and filmmaker from St. James, Man., said it was important to her that Inuit educators, artists and cultural leaders develop the course content, and that the project – the focus of her doctoral research – was guided at every stage by an Inuit advisory group.
“What makes the approach unique is that it is rooted in Inuit pedagogies that involve observation, learning by doing, recognition of each learner’s strengths, and land-based learning,” explained Smith, an assistant professor in McGill’s Faculty of Education.
To gain insight into what Inuit youth would like to see in a post-secondary program, Smith conducted interviews and talking circles and surveyed 116 young people living either in Nunavik or in the south. She found that there was an overwhelming interest in the arts, which she said didn’t surprise her, given that many respondents are involved in artistic or cultural practices, ranging from traditional art-making to performance.
“The arts are very near and dear to people, and government statistics show that they’re contributing significantly to the local economy,” explained Smith. “There’s a real revitalization in art practices, especially when you consider that so many art practices such as throat singing and drum dancing were not supported or were banned in the past.”
Moving forward
Over the past several months, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq has assembled a dedicated team to move the initiative forward.
A documentary film produced by students during the digital animation pilot course has proved to be an especially powerful tool in securing support for the next phase of development.
“In the film you see those relationships, that comfort and that pride. You see the interactions between the students and the instructor and that caring learning space that is so different from what many Inuit students have experienced in southern colleges,” said Smith. “Watch the film and you can see what post-secondary education can be when it’s by Inuit for Inuit.”
The film helped persuade decision-makers of the program’s value and contributed to securing funding from the Quebec government to support the development of the new college-level offering. A launch date has yet to be set, but once in operation, the program will be a significant milestone in Nunavik education, creating new opportunities for Inuit students, while at the same time advancing a long-standing community-wide goal of accessible, locally delivered post-secondary education.