ESUMA / 7th Gen Character Design ++

Aupaluk was our final stop in our workshop series with ESUMA. In our previous workshops up north, we often worked in collaboration with United for Literacy or other groups. This time, we took up the task of recruiting on our own! As Aupaluk is one of the smallest villages in Nunavik, recruitment primarily came from word of mouth, as well as Facebook as it is a vital resource for communication within northern villages due to the lack of signal for mobile phones. Even so, we had a great turnout as word spreads fast!
These days were longer than previous weeks, as we began the morning with some off-screen drawing, and also spent time in the gymnasium playing games. As much as we love technology, it’s important for kids to also run around and get some physical activity in! In the afternoon, we provided lunch for the participants as well as providing snacks throughout the day. This is especially important for camps and workshops up north where food insecurity is a reality for many. It is our job as guests and teachers to be respectful to the communities we visit.
On the iPads, the kids loved playing around on Nomad and Procreate. While Nomad has a slight learning curve, its UI on the devices make it easy to learn quickly. Taking a laid back approach to this week, we let the students choose if they wanted to learn Procreate or Nomad, rather than starting with one altogether. This made it very comfortable for them to ask questions, and to split into groups. In groups, students were able to help each other in addition to extra support from our team.
The Skins Team ended off the week with a muffin making session where we all celebrated our hard work together! We are so grateful to have the opportunity to work with communities in the north, and we hope to find more opportunities for workshops in Nunavik again!