At MakeWay, our shared platform is home to over 60 projects based from coast to coast to coast. Initiatives benefit from the support of a mission-aligned community, charitable expertise, and shared resources, so they can focus on the work closest to their heart. Over the next few months, we’re sitting down with our shared platform projects to learn more about what they do.
This week, we connected with the Ayalik Project to hear about their relationship with MakeWay, their source of inspiration, and the most recent paddling expedition they facilitated for young boys in the sub-arctic region north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories!
Where are you based? While we operate the administrative side of things remotely, the Ayalik Project has local liaison volunteers on the ground in several Nunavut communities, and has sent Nunavut Inuit youth to programs throughout northern and southern Canada.
How did you start out? The Ayalik Project was originally founded in 2015 by David and Laurie Pelly, as a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) with MakeWay, and joined the shared platform at MakeWay in the spring of 2020.
What is your purpose? We provide opportunities for Inuit youth a chance to build self-esteem and confidence through challenging outdoor adventure, meeting other young Canadians, and social-cultural exploration in the North.
What was your most recent cause for celebration? In the midst of COVID-19, when so much programming had to be cancelled (including much of our own), we were still able to pull together a successful canoe expedition for 12 Inuit youth from Nunavut, organized by Jackpine Paddle in Yellowknife. The boys traveled 100 km, stopping along the way to camp, swim, prepare delicious meals, play games and just enjoy being out on the land and living healthily, all the while developing new friendships along the way, gaining confidence in themselves, and learning valuable skills. The toughest part, the boys agreed, was the portaging.
Who is your model or inspiration for the work you do? The Ayalik Project is founded on a belief in the power of challenging outdoor adventures to have life-changing impact for youth. Laurie & David observed this with their adopted Inuit son, Eric, originally from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. They established this program to honour his memory after his sudden death from cardiac arrhythmia at age 19. Seemingly simple experiences can make such a big difference. Youth programs centred on self-examination and confidence building — such as on-the-land experiential programs, canoe trips, backpacking treks, sailing adventures, cultural immersions, special needs camps, international programs, and others — have an immeasurable positive impact. The Ayalik Project was created to enable Inuit youth from Nunavut to benefit from such experiences, in order to help them find the maturity, confidence, and success that Eric achieved in his lifetime.
For more information about Eric and Ayalik, check out their website! As of 2023, Ayalik is no longer a project on MakeWay’s shared platform, but you can support their ongoing work in collaboration with community partners by contributing to the Ayalik Fund.
MakeWay’s shared platform provides operational support, governance and charitable expertise for changemakers. The shared platform enables more time and money to go towards achieving greater impact. MakeWay is a national charity that builds partnerships and solutions to help nature and communities thrive together.
