Nunavik's 1st permanent skate park provides tumbles, laughs, outlet for kids
Several companies and organizations got together to make the project happen
Around 4 p.m. every day in Inukjuak, Que., there is a mad rush toward a shipping container in town. Precious cargo is inside: skateboards, roller blades and protective equipment.
Kids of all ages scamper inside as the doors are unlocked, to be the first of the day to roll down the smooth concrete of the Inuit village's brand new skate park.
"I knew it was going to be used a lot but it's being used even more than I thought," said Caroline Gleason, the teacher who led the project to get a skate park built.
"Even kids that aren't using a skateboard or aren't using their bike, they're sliding on it on their bums or they're running around."
Big boost after challenging times
Gleason, who taught at the local school before moving to Umiujaq this school year, says the idea for the project came at a hard time for the community a few years ago.
"It had been a really difficult year and we had lost many people in the community to suicide... That summer, we had lost a 14-year-old student to suicide," she explained.
"There was a big town meeting following that, with different organizations in the community, to try and find a solution to [the issue], or to try to find an outlet for kids."
After another meeting in 2020, prompted by the shutdown of some services at the local health dispensary, talk about the project started to pick up again.
That's when Gleason kicked into high gear and got the non-profit Make Life Skate Life on board.
"They build skate parks all around the world in under-served communities," she said. "Right away they were interested in working on this project. It would be their first skate park building in North America."
Then, she had what she calls a light bulb moment.
As with most things in Nunavik, the hardest part of any construction project is the logistics of shipping the equipment and machinery via boat or plane. That's why she turned to CRT Construction Inc., which already had work crews in the area.
"Right now, they're building a hydroelectric dam so we had this window of opportunity to have access to all of the materials and the expertise on how to build on permafrost and what concrete we should be using," she said.
Young Inukjuamiut gather in droves
Prior to this summer, Mary Anaukak had never stepped on a skateboard.
Now, the Grade 7 student is riding the ramp with abandon, although she's not quite ready yet to drop into the quarterpipe.
When asked why she likes skateboarding, Anaukak gets to the point.
"Because it's fun."
Her friends all agree. So do the parents.
"My daughter came back home a few times and said 'Dad, look!' and showed me all these bruises," Tommy Palliser said laughing. "She said 'It was great!'"
For Gleason, the project has been an inspiration.
"I'm emotional about it," she said. "I want to build a skate park in every community in Nunavik now."
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