UQAT presents five medals of honour to educational leaders from the communities of Ivujivik, Puvirnituq, and UQAT

Published on November 16, 2018

 Val-d’Or, November 16, 2018 – On November 16 the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) paid tribute to five educational leaders from the communities of Ivujivik and Puvirnituq and from UQAT by presenting each of them with the University’s medal of honour. As part of the festivities for UQAT’s 35th anniversary, a ceremony that brought together around fifty people was held in the First Peoples Building on UQAT’s Val-d’Or campus, an ideal location for communities to meet and mingle.

These people were key players in developing one of the first partnerships between UQAT and Indigenous peoples, a partnership established in 1984, soon after UQAT’s creation in 1983. Together, through their openness, willpower, vision, and actions, these players not only empowered communities to take control of education but also helped to define and implement a unique model of partnership that puts community needs at the centre of processes for training, development, and research.

• Tiili Alasuak (Puvirnituq)
• Aipilie Kenuajuak (Puvirnituq)
• Jani Mangiuk (Ivujivik)
• Gérald McKenzie (Montreal)
• Gisèle Maheux (UQAT)

A presentation of the ceremony is presented here: Presentation