The Project

Atautsikut, togetherness in Inuktitut, is the name of the Community of Practice (CoP) in youth mental health and wellness that is being developed in the 14 communities of Nunavik. A CoP is a group of people brought together by a common professional practice or a shared interest who meet together regularly, to exchange, share and learn from one another, and to support and inspire one another.

The Atautsikut CoP will provide face-to-face and online activities to Inuit and non-Inuit first-line workers involved in youth mental health and wellness. This will include 90-minute meetings of CoP groups held every two months on topics chosen by CoP members, according to their needs and interests. It is important in a CoP that members take ownership of its activities, which can be transformed as the CoP develops. As such, the Atautsikut CoP will strive to become what its members want it to be. The website aims at becoming an information, communication and collaboration hub for the Atautsikut CoP members.

The overall goal of the Atautsikut CoP project is to develop together a comfortable, meaningful and culturally safe space in which we can learn from each other to promote and improve youth and family wellness in the 14 communities of Nunavik. More specifically, Atautsikut’s objective is to provide activities that will be useful to CoP members, notably in terms of professional development, social support and interprofessional collaboration.

Atautsikut CoP members are first-line workers involved in some way or another in the field of youth mental health and wellness in Nunavik. This includes community wellness workers, social services workers, youth protection workers, family house workers, group homes and rehab centers workers, nurses and doctors, interpreters, school counsellors, etc.

Participation in the Atautsikut CoP’s activities is on a voluntary basis.