Ilisaqsivik (organization)

Ilisaqsivik (organization)
Name	Ilisaqsivik
Formation	1995
Type	Indigenous non-profit
Headquarters	Clyde River, Nunavut
Region served	Nunavut, Canada
Leader title	Executive Director

Ilisaqsivik (organization) is an Inuit-led non-profit organization based in Clyde River, Nunavut, established to provide culturally grounded services and programs for Inuit communities across Inuit Nunangat. The organization works at the intersection of Inuit knowledge, community wellness, language revitalization, and sustainable livelihoods, collaborating with regional, territorial, and national institutions. Ilisaqsivik engages with Elders, youth, hunters, educators, and researchers to adapt Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into practical community development initiatives.

History

Ilisaqsivik was founded in the mid-1990s amid conversations involving Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, and regional Inuit associations such as the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and the Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated leadership. Early years saw partnerships with the Government of Nunavut, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Social Services to address issues raised by communities including Clyde River, Pond Inlet, Arctic Bay, and Iqaluit. The organization drew on guidance from Inuit elders and cultural leaders who had worked with institutions like the Canadian Museum of History and the National Research Council. Ilisaqsivik’s development aligned with national dialogues that included Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami conferences, hearings before the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and research programs at the University of Manitoba, the University of Toronto, and Memorial University.

Mission and Programs

Ilisaqsivik’s mission emphasizes Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and the promotion of Inuktut language preservation, youth engagement, and food security initiatives. Programs cover language camps, traditional skills training with involvement from the Polar Continental Shelf Program staff, and mental wellness projects that reference approaches used by the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Mental Wellness Commission. Educational programming connects with curriculum developers at Nunavut Arctic College, Aqsarniit Ilinniarvik, and partnerships with researchers from McGill University, University of British Columbia, and Dalhousie University. Food sovereignty efforts link hunters and harvesters in communities such as Cape Dorset, Rankin Inlet, and Baker Lake with co-management entities like Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Parks Canada for wildlife stewardship and traditional harvesting knowledge transmission.

Governance and Funding

Governance is structured with a board of directors including community representatives, elders, and youth delegates, reflecting models used by the Inuit Circumpolar Council and the Tungasuvvingat Inuit governance frameworks. Funding sources have included federal departments such as Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Health Canada, and provincial/territorial contributions from the Government of Nunavut. Ilisaqsivik has also received project-based grants from foundations like the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and research grants through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Strategic funding partnerships have been formed with the ArcticNet research network, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and philanthropic arms of universities such as the University of Calgary and the University of Ottawa.

Facilities and Locations

The organization’s headquarters in Clyde River serves as a hub for activities and houses community meeting spaces, traditional skills workshops, and an archive of oral histories contributed by Elders from Qausuittuq, Nain, and Kimmirut. Satellite program sites and partner facilities include Inuit cultural centres in Iqaluit, the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, and community halls in Pond Inlet and Arviat. Ilisaqsivik has coordinated field work at research stations such as the Polar Continental Shelf Program camps, collaborated on projects at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, and used facilities affiliated with Nunavut Arctic College and ArcticNet nodes in resolute Bay and Cambridge Bay.

Partnerships and Community Impact

Ilisaqsivik collaborates with national organizations including Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and the Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, while engaging researchers from institutions like the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and Simon Fraser University. International partnerships have included the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Greenlandic institutions, and research groups at the University of Tromsø. Community impact is reflected in strengthened Inuktut language use, increased youth participation modeled similarly to programs by the Right to Play organization, and contributions to regional policy discussions with the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement parties. Ilisaqsivik’s work has influenced initiatives undertaken by the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action addressing Indigenous languages.

Notable Initiatives and Projects

Notable projects include language revitalization camps that drew on pedagogical research from the University of Victoria and curriculum collaborations with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated; mental wellness programs partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; and sustainable harvesting projects coordinated with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, and the Department of Environment. Ilisaqsivik led community-based research projects funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in collaboration with Memorial University and the University of Manitoba, and participated in ArcticNet-led studies on food security and climate impacts alongside Environment and Climate Change Canada scientists. The organization also ran cultural exchange programs linking Elders with students from the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, and the National Research Council, and contributed to documentary and media projects with the National Film Board of Canada and CBC North.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Nunavut Category:Inuit organizations Category:Clyde River, Nunavut