Inspire Nunavut is an innovative entrepreneurial leadership program designed by, and for, young people and educators in Nunavut. Led by Nunavut instructors and featuring community leaders and entrepreneurs, the program connects entrepreneurship, education and culture through a unique local experience.
Our 12-week program supports participants to set their own career or business goals guided by their interests, while connecting with like-minded individuals from across Nunavut. We meet the needs of the community by offering fully virtual, hybrid, or in-person programs. We have participants representing all 25 communities in Nunavut and have supported over 250 Nunavummiut!
Inspire Nunavut is grateful for the financial support provided by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated’s Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation.
Nunavut is Canada’s largest territory with a population of over 33,000, 84% of which are Inuit! Did you know that nearly 75% of all Nunavumiut are under 40 years old? This is a large portion of the population that benefits from programs like Inspire Nunavut, which has been providing unique programming in Nunavut for over 7 years. Our program helps individuals enhance their creative, innovative and natural skills and abilities. We offer unique opportunities to explore how these skills can be put to use in developing entrepreneurial and career goals to help Nunavumiut youth thrive.
This program is recruiting Nunavummiut who meet the following criteria:
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Aged 18-35
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Passionate about creating meaningful community impact
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Interested in combining personal and cultural values with business ideas
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Committed to working on business, professional or educational goals
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Have the time and ability to commit to the program; 8-10 hours per week
What participants expect from the program:
The Inspire Nunavut program has three distinct levels which help participants grow and apply their knowledge and ideas as they move through the program. We call the levels Inspire, Innovate and Initiate to reflect each level’s main focus.
Inspire
Weeks 1-6
Participants learn about the foundations of entrepreneurship and leadership from an Indigenous perspective. They focus on discovery and self-reflection, to help make their goals clear for a successful future. Throughout this level, participants learn about and engage with their community through a community impact project.
Innovate
Weeks 7-12
Participants work on a personal, community and business canvas. This helps them go through the steps of building a project or business idea that results in a concrete model to test in the real world. They meet with local entrepreneurs who have gone through similar experiences.
Initiate
For graduates
Alumni and graduates of the program bring their ideas and plans into reality with the guidance of mentors, financial resources and access to professional services. The program is self-driven through a gamified experience. This level is primarily offered for graduates of Inspire and Innovate.
Level 1
Weekly topics:
Level 2
Weekly topics:
What we offer to our participants:
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Weekly live sessions with instructors and coordinators who come from the Nunavut, or have significant experience living in the Territories
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Group Health and Wellness sessions with local experts and cultural leaders
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Mental health and wellness 24/7 phone-in supports
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On-going 1-1 check-ins with program coordinators
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Weekly guest speaker sessions with local/Northern entrepreneurs
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A weekly allowance and start-up grants
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Access to technology supports and internet
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A safe, collaborative and fun virtual or in-person learning environment
Meet our past participants and become Inspired!
We take pride in our participants’ unique and individual journeys through the program. We love promoting their stories and business ideas to inspire others to join the program.
Our Inspire Nunavut team
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Pauline Sabourin Krause
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Rozy Singh
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Evelyn Koh
Meet our local experts!
Throughout the Inspire program, participants also have the opportunity to learn from local instructors and entrepreneurs, through a Northern perspective, and build a network of support from across the territory.
Hovak Johnston is an Inuk woman raised on the land in the Kitikmeot Region in Nunavut until she was sent away to school. She uses her Inuinnaqtun name Hovak given to her at birth as a way to carry her traditions and honor her past relatives for whom she was named after.
Hovak has a deep connection to her culture and traditional arts and skills that were passed down to her. Hovak does some type of traditional artwork everyday; from sewing, soapstone carving, drawing, jewelry making, tanning hides, fleshing and preparing skins to her latest endeavors: traditional tattooing.
Hovak also a performing artist who is well respected for the pride she puts into her work, culture and traditions. She also teaches youth on how to make traditional items.
Hovak’s most recent passion is spear heading a revival of the traditional Inuit tattoo’s by learning the modern and ancient methods of tattooing.
—HOVAK JOHNSTON—
Inspire Nunavut’s Culture and Mental Wellness Advisor.
Tagak Curley is a Champion of Inspire Nunavut and has been involved as a guest speaker on many occasions, including the Welcoming and Closing celebrations of Inspire Nunavut.
Tagak Curley is an Inuit leader, politician and businessman from Nunavut. As a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut, Tagak is considered a living father of confederation in Canada. He was born in a hunting camp at Coral Harbour, Northwest Territories.
—TAGAK CURLEY—
Crystal Martin-Lapenskie is the President and CEO of Okpik Consulting. Crystal is the host of every week of the Inspire program; in pre-recorded videos, Crystal presents an overview of the topics that will be covered during that week and the importance of participating and engaging with the program. She specializes in project management, policy development, strategic planning, and educational resource development for organizations and businesses working within the Inuit community to enhance program and service delivery. Crystal is originally from Sanirajak, Nunavut, though she has resided in the Ottawa Valley for several years, she has travelled across the Canadian Arctic delivering programs and services focused on increasing Inuit employment, training, education, and entrepreneurship. Throughout her experience, Crystal saw a need for systemic policy changes in government which led her to be elected President of the National Inuit Youth Council in 2019.
—CRYSTAL MARTIN-LAPENSKIE—
Our partners
As an organization we believe in and value the importance of collaboration by bringing together youth, elders, artists, educators and entrepreneurs to foster dialogue and innovation on locally driven responses to community challenges.
Get involved
We’re always looking to meet and work with knowledgeable people from across Nunavut to deliver the program as guest speakers, instructors, business mentors and career coaches. Their insight and expertise ensure that we deliver the highest quality content-always from a Nunavut perspective.