Collaboration, dialogue and trust:art and social resilience in Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland

• Main Authors: Berliner, Peter, Enghoff, Tina
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Siunissaq 2019
• Subjects: Grundskole; Resiliens; Arctic; Atammik; Greenland; Kangerlussuaq; Maniitsoq; Nuuk; Tasiilaq; greenlandic; kalaallit; Kalaallit Nunaat; Nanortalik
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/collaboration-dialogue-and-trust(3d776ddc-6b01-4834-876d-6b8d5f48e7fe).html

Siunissaq means the future in Greenlandic, and is the name of an art-based, psychosocial project with young people initiated in Kalaallit Nunaat/ Greenland in 2015. Combining art, philosophy and research, the goal of Siunissaq is to create social resilience in stable, supportive communities with a high level of sustainability, well-being, and creativity. Here the authors provide insight into the project’s guiding principles, and its dialogue-based process of collective learning where young people, their families, their teachers, social workers, and artists come together to build knowledge, create change, and generate agency. More than 600 young people have participated in Siunissaq’s workshops, and they and their communities have participated actively in the resulting exhibitions and events in public space in Tasiilaq, Nanortalik, Maniitsoq, Nuuk, Kangerlussuaq and Atammik in Kalaallit Nunaat/ Greenland. Based on trust, dialogue and respect for the realities people in the Arctic face, the approach of the project has global resonance and relevance for communitybased projects and challenging the effects of colonialism.