Inuit Cultural Skills Program (ICSP) and Outpost Camps

The Inuit Cultural Skills Program (ICSP) works with elders, community hunters and Corrections staff to provide land-based activities for offenders, including hunting and navigation, fishing, camping, and skinning. The department also provides culturally relevant programming for female and youth clients at the Nunavut Women’s Correctional Centre and Isumaqsunngittukuvik Young Offender’s Facility.

The adult institutions and correctional camps provide care, custody and control of clients sentenced to terms of incarceration or awaiting trial. Outpost Camps provide traditional healing and traditional on-the-land skills throughout the year.

Iqaluit Inuit Cultural Skills Program works with clients to develop and learn traditional skills and work on items such as the qamutiik, ulu, harpoon and snow knife. Clients are taught modern and traditional navigation, survival skills, harvest of animals and how skins are used. The life skills component teaches clients kinship and raising children. A sewing program is also offered when we have Inuit staff available to teach the program for female and male clients.

The Department of Justice takes great pride in this program, which is unique to Nunavut