Connected North Content Provider Spotlight Series: Ashley Komangaapik Rose Cummings

As part of our Connected North Content Provider Spotlight Series, we are pleased to highlight Inuk Role Model, Ashley Komangaapik Rose Cummings. Ashley’s experience working in youth engagement and advocacy, as well as her role on the Prime Minister’s Youth council are just two of the reasons we consider her to be a role model to the youth in our network.

Originally from Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Ashley’s experience growing up in a small community in the Arctic helped her to develop the life skills and coping strategies necessary to overcome the many challenges life brings. Her life experience, coupled with her many achievements, give Ashley a unique perspective on how students might find their path to success. Her session Letting Go of Fear is quite popular, as it focuses on teaching students the importance of not letting fear rule your life.

Using her own experience as an example, Ashley describes how facing your fears can help students grow and develop into more resilient and confident people. She teaches about the importance of goal setting and describes how she breaks up large ambitions into small, manageable steps. Ashley also strongly encourages students to shed their concerns about hearing ‘No’. She describes some of her own personal failures and uses them to demonstrate the power of determination and not giving up on your goals. By using these setbacks as an opportunity for improvement, Ashley is a living testament to her words.

Ashley’s ability to relate to students and create a casual atmosphere also helps to make her sessions more effective. After hearing her stories, students often open up about their own personal experiences knowing they are in a safe and supportive environment. Ashley’s calm demeanour and willingness to engage students in difficult but highly relevant discussions have made her a hit within our network.