A flight from Nunavut to Newfoundland doesn’t come cheap.
So when the 2025 graduates of Memorial’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program) Nunavut cohort) decided to attend convocation ceremonies in St. John’s, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
As part of a broader partnership between Nunavut Arctic College and Memorial University, the School of Social Work offers graduates of the college’s Social Service Worker Diploma Program the opportunity to complete a bachelor of social work degree closer to home.
Fundraising to help offset the costs of travelling such a great distance required innovation, resolve and teamwork — skills that are also important in careers in social work.
The students say fundraising brought them closer together.
“It changed us as a group,” said Darlene Eyegetok of Cambridge Bay. “We started to carry each other more and recognize each other’s strengths.”
The group only began to fundraise a few months before they were set to disperse for field placements across the territory, but that didn’t deter them.
“We just thought about a fundraising event and came together, with our different personalities and strengths, to make it work,” said Sheila Schweder, who is from Rankin Inlet.
From selling baked goods and “penny” tickets on donated items to coffee and tacos in a bag, the wider community got involved.
“My goal is to walk alongside others with empathy, respect and a strong connection to Inuit identity and ways of knowing.”
Chef Andy Poisson of the Nunavut Arctic College’s Culinary Arts Program donated his time and skills to make pizzas for a pizza sale.
Dressed to the nines, the students also rolled up their sleeves (literally this time) and raised money by signing up to busk tables and wash dishes at the Umingmak Frolics banquet, part of the hamlet of Cambridge Bay’s annual spring festival.
Working towards a common goal brought the classmates together as friends.
The teamwork and relationship-building that went into their efforts will continue to contribute to each student’s future goals as a social worker.
Margaret Sullivan is the manager of social work programs at Nunavut Arctic College.
She spends a lot of time with the students who choose to continue their education via Memorial’s Bachelor of Social Work Program.
“I’ve known these students for a long time,” she said. “And the reason why they’re here is to help their people.”
Strong Inuit communities
The 2025 graduates are all strong Inuit women who stress the importance of valuing Inuit culture for a brighter future.
Emily Kukik Okalik of Rankin Inlet says she is passionate about building a social work practice that reflects Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit values.
“My goal is to walk alongside others with empathy, respect and a strong connection to Inuit identity and ways of knowing — to support, uplift and advocate for the well-being of our people,” she said.
Verna Angnetsiak Strickland of Pond Inlet agrees. She says the elders and youth of Nunavut have deeply influenced her decision to pursue post-secondary education.
“While there has been progress in Nunavut, significant systemic gaps remain, especially in how services are designed to reflect and serve Inuit communities,” she said.
Ms. Strickland hopes to address these gaps by putting her social work education to use in a political context and is currently running for election in the riding of Tununiq, Nunavut.
Darlene Eyegetok says she is inspired by the leadership she sees among her Inuit peers and that she envisions a future where education is a tool for empowerment, where every voice is heard and every story honoured.
“Together we are building a legacy rooted in cultural pride, unity and transformative leadership for the future of Nunavut.”
Broader partnership
As with students in all of Memorial’s undergraduate programs in social work, students in the Nunavut cohort complete coursework and field practicums.
The field practicums and intensive curriculum prepare the future social workers to work in urban centres and rural settings, particularly remote and northern settings, focusing on Nunavut and the experience of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
The majority of courses are taught in person at the Kitikmeot campus in Cambridge Bay. Instructors and faculty from Memorial’s School of Social Work travel to Nunavut to teach and to learn in a collaborative learning environment that strives to incorporate Inuit values and principles across the entire program.
