Abstract
The Nunavik Youth Hockey Development Program (NYHDP) targets Inuit youth in all 14 communities of Nunavik and is funded under a crime prevention strategy by the local government (Bean & Haman, 2015). The program consists of two components: a recreation-based and a competitive program. Recently, the local government decided to cancel the competitive program based in part on an independent evaluation that concluded the program did not achieve its intended goal of crime prevention. In response to this decision, at the request of program's founder (Joe Juneau, NHL), two members of the study team spent a week conducting a case study of the final select Bantam/Midget Girls Team at a training camp in Inukjuak to examine the perceived impact of the NYHDP. Over 8 days we conducted 10 individual and 2 focus group interviews with program leaders, coaches, teachers, players, parents of players, community leaders, and social support workers. Additionally, we participated in and observed hockey practices and classroom sessions. The athletes attending this camp faced many challenges in their daily life, including suicide, emotional/physical abuse, and substance use. The program was perceived positively and offered participants an opportunity to escape the challenges of their everyday lives. However, the program outcomes did not appear to be directly related to crime reduction per se. Additionally, while there was a link between the NYHDP program and education, this link was tenuous and could be strengthened. The NYHDP may be better characterized as a youth development intervention rather than a crime prevention program.
