The Inusik Project: a trauma-informed video storytelling program in the Urban Inuit Community

Presented by: Rachel Deutsch, Addictions Program Coordinator at the

                       Native Women's Shelter of Montreal and Inuit participants of the project

Workshop description:

This workshop will feature videos from the Inusik project, a discussion of trauma, and an interactive storytelling workshop.

The Inusik Project began in Montreal in early 2014 and was run by Rachel Deutsch, the Addictions Program Coordinator of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal. It was run in collaboration with Ivirtivik Montreal and Ivirtivik Inukjuak. The project focused on the urban and northern Inuit experience and resulted in the creation of 18 short films created by Inuit people in Montreal and Inukuak, Nunavik.

The videos show personal narratives, music videos, stop motion, dramatic skills, and unique ways of telling experiences and lives. They explore issues of the move from the north to the city, substance use, loss, difficulty finding work, poverty, dreams, connection to the land, hopes and dreams, and memories from their past. Inusik means "life" in Inuktitut, and this project was given that name by the participants.