Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back, Members. My statement today is in recognition of the Arctic Inspiration Prize. My colleagues and I were fortunate to hear a presentation on the important initiative, yesterday. I know the Premier and some of the MLAs were at a public reception here last evening. The Arctic Inspiration Prize is sometimes known as the Nobel of the North. It awards at least $1 million annually to northern teams with a knowledge-to-action plan in the areas of education, health, social and cultural issues, the environment, or the economy. The Arctic Inspiration Prize was founded in 2012 by philanthropist Arnold Witzig and his partner Sima Sharifi. They have made a gift of their own personal fortune in this unique initiative to benefit northern families and communities. You will recall, last year, the entire $1 million Arctic Inspiration Prize was awarded to the NWT-based group Fostering Open eXpression Among Youth, also known as FOXY. FOXY was founded by Candice Lys, of Fort Smith, and Nancy McNeill, of Yellowknife. FOXY uses drama, music, visual arts, public speaking, and games to help young women learn about sexual health, self-empowerment, positive life choices, and healthy relationships. Since 2012, FOXY workshops, in almost every NWT community, have reached hundreds of young women. Another 80 young women in FOXY's peer leader program develop leadership and networking skills and create community projects that benefit their home, communities, and earn them high school credits. FOXY is currently developing plans to include young men in its program and to reach more communities including in Nunavut and Yukon.
This year, another Northwest Territories group will participate in the Arctic Inspiration Prize. The tri-territorial training project, with NWT Parks and Recreation as one of the partners, was awarded $600,000 for their plan to support northern communities with a specialized community recreation leadership training program in remote communities across the three territories. Knowledge to action, unique and innovative ideas, developed by teams of Northerners to enhance and improve northern life. I would like to recognize and congratulate the members of the tri-territorial training project and wish them the best as they develop their program. I would like to congratulate all the leaders and participants of FOXY for their important work and wish them the best on their expansion. I would like to, of course, recognize and thank Arnold Witzig and Sima Sharifi for their broad vision and selfless contribution to a healthy environment, northern families and communities, through the establishment of the Arctic Inspiration Prize. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
