Better Father, Better Husband initiative preparing to launch in Rankin Inlet

A new men’s initiative, Better Father, Better Husband, is expected to begin its programming this month in Rankin Inlet.

Initiative founder Noel Kaludjak of Rankin Inlet, said Agnico Eagle Mines was accepting proposals for various programming suggestions in the community, and the men’s group was one of the lucky few to be selected for $10,000 in support.

Kaludjak said the Rankin Inlet Men’s Committee was started in 2023. The five-person committee comprises Kaludjak, John Ussak, Steve Fredlund, Gabriel Nirlungayuk and Jackie Nakoolak.

The initiative has been slow in getting up and running because the funding applications they’ve been submitting have been proving slow in being accepted, said Kaludjak.

“One of the programs we’re doing around the Kivalliq is our Better Father, Better Husband initiative, which I created while I was working at the healing facility here in Rankin,” said Kaludjak.

“I got the idea for it when I noticed some of the inmates had little to no knowledge of their role within the family setting.

“I thought if I created a little one-week program for the men to teach them about fatherhood and husbandhood it could be a big help.

“We did a few programs at the healing facility and they were a good success. Some of these men, even older men, didn’t know a lot of things about the role of the father in the household and the relationships that come with that.”

One of the things Kaludjak teaches in the program is that when you’re growing up as a young man, you have have to confront all kinds of issues, not the least of which for some is what it’s like growing up in a large family with no Dad and/or Mom.

“Our experiences in our formative years shape us into who we are as adults and healing can be a part of that. We also teach the differences between men and women and how they can often look at things in completely different ways.

“It teaches men how to relate to a woman’s point of view and how to find the right life partner. It will never be perfect, but we offer guidelines to a relationship that will work.

“We teach men how to respond and react to each event that happens in their relationship, and how to deal with issues such as trust and jealousy, if they exist in their relationship.

“We look back into their childhoods and, hopefully, figure out why they act this way today, as adults.”

Kaludjak said the biggest aspect is learning how to raise their children in a loving and nurturing environment. He said some, while growing up, were simply not taught how to do that effectively and there are now more outside influences affecting family life than ever.

“The old ways are pretty much gone. Back in the 1960s and ’70s, our parents were forced to adapt to a new way of life. Most of us kids were forced to leave our parents to attend school.

“At that time our dads would go hunting, while us children would be forced to leave them and go to school, so the connection between us was lost.

“The old ways of teaching a young man how to raise a family have changed dramatically. It’s so different now in how we try to teach them, especially with so many connections to our fathers now being lost.

“Raising a child today is so different with everything at such a rapid pace, such as growing technology and more and more social interaction taking place over the internet rather than face to face.”

‘A different way of thinking’

Kaludjak said sometimes a man feels he’s the boss of the household and controls everything that takes place within the family dynamics. He said that way of thinking has become outdated and it takes two to successfully raise a child in today’s world.

“What happens within the family is most important and a child deserves a safe and nurturing home. I’d say about 80 per cent of men in the North have little to no knowledge of how to be a caring father, a loving husband and to function effectively within the family structure.

“We lost all that when we were brought into communities from the land, and we still struggle to understand the family dynamics and how to conduct ourselves effectively within the family structure.

“The men who take the training come out with a different way of thinking, reacting and responding positively with their partner.

“So it’s simple enough for anyone to understand it, but it’s also very effective in helping men develop a more positive attitude while dealing effectively with their partner and children in developing a more harmonious environment.”

The program also has male and female Elders come in and speak with the participants. And, if needed, counsellors are available to any client who feels they need extra help.

Kaludjak said the biggest challenge facing the course is the lack of available office space, but he’s confident the community will come through.

He said the group also works with the legal system and receives clients who are court mandated to register.

“We hope to launch the program completely this month and, once we have fully launched it and have more instructors trained to deliver it, then there is no reason why we can’t start reaching out to bring the program across all of Nunavut.

Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kivalliq News