The National Inuit Youth Summit for this year has been postponed due to COVID-19.

It was hosted here in Nain in 2017 and will be hosted in the summer of 2021 in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

This event is held for all Inuit youth between the ages of 15-30.

Eligibilities include:

• Must be an Inuit youth between the ages of 15-30 at the time of the Summit
• Willing to travel and be away from home for up to 7-10 days
• Demonstrate some or all of the following qualities: a passion for learning, interest in Inuit culture, leadership qualities and/or potential to develop these qualities; a desire to make a difference, become an NIYC ambassador and be an active and responsible citizen
• Understand that the Summit is alcohol and drug free. The Summit has a zero-tolerance policy. Use or possession of drugs or alcohol is strictly prohibited
• Understand that this is a unique experiential education and leadership development program – Full participation in all aspects of the program is expected
• Accept the responsibility to act as an ambassador for his/her community and region

Depending on the COVID-19, it will be an in-person gathering or a virtual gathering.

So if any youth that wanted to apply for the youth summit, can contact Mary Binky Andersen at binkyandersen@icloud.com or call her at 709-899-0476.

The deadline is tomorrow, December 18, 2020, and will make participant selections in January 2021.

Yesterday, Wednesday, December 16th, 2020, the first person to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Newfoundland and Labrador was a registered nurse.

Ellen Foley-Vick received the very first vaccine at MUNS School of Medicine with Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald administering the shot.

Dr. Jatin Morkar clinical chief with the medicine program also on the front lines received the second vaccine.

Meanwhile, the first person to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Nova Scotia was a Newfoundlander.

Danielle Sheaves a registered nurse received that provinces first vaccine yesterday morning.

Sheaves is a front line worker with the Halifax Infirmary.

Today’s addition, Foley-Vick says she was relieved for herself and others to come. And is grateful to receive the vaccine but also knowing she’s a part of making everyday life safer for patients and families.

Dr. Morkar hopes will ensure this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic.

He adds witnessing the grief of families is something neither he nor his staff will ever forget, adding hopefully that they won’t have to experience that again.

Vaccinations will continue for health care workers and those in the highest risk, categories such as the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

It’s estimated that the earliest that members of the general public would receive the vaccine will be June.

Today, Thursday, December 17, Newfoundland and Labrador has three new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The first new confirmed case is a male in the Eastern Health region between 60-69 years of age. The individual is not a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador and is self-isolating.

The source of the infection for this case is under investigation by Public Health. An update will be provided as more information becomes available.

The second new confirmed case is a female in the Eastern Health region between 20-39 years of age.

The third new confirmed case is a male in the Eastern Health region between 20-39 years of age.

Both individuals are residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and are self-isolating. They are members of the same household.

The source of the infection for these cases are also under investigation by Public Health. An update will be provided as more information becomes available.

Contact tracing for all three cases by Public Health officials is underway.

Newfoundland and Labrador has 24 active cases.

There has been one recovery in the Eastern Health region and one recovery in the Central Health region since yesterday.

This means 339 people have recovered, one person is in hospital due to the virus, and to date, 68,798 people have been tested.

For the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.

Christmas is once upon us again and there will be many decorations and Christmas lights throughout the communities.

The Nain Fire Department met with the Fire Chief yesterday to come up with some safety tips that people can use over the holidays.

Henry Broomfield of Nain is a fire fighter, he says that they came up with four tips that people can use.

Throughout this week and next week, we will be airing Broomfield to hear the safety tips for you to use.

OKâlaKatiget Radio contacted each of the schools along the north coast to see what they have planned for their Christmas concert this year.

All schools along the coast will have their last day tomorrow, Friday, December 18th at 12:30pm and will reopen on January 4th, 2021.

Kent Chaulk is the Principal for the Jens Haven Memorial School here in Nain.

He says they will be presenting their virtual Christmas performance and more information will be provided later on their Facebook page on how to access these performances over the Christmas break.

Dean Coombs is the Principal for the Amos Comenius Memorial School in Hopedale.

They have been setting up videos for the past two weeks and will all be put together and sent out to the parents email.

Dion Rideout is the Principal for the J.C. Erhardt Memorial School in Makkovik.

Rideout says that they are going to film each class and going to post on their school Facebook page once it becomes available.

Carmine Sheppard is the principal for the BL. Morrison Memorial School in Postville.

Once again, due to COVID-19, they decided not to go ahead with the Christmas concert this year.

In Rigolet, Gervis House is the principal for the Northern Lights Academy School

Their Christmas concert is all done and ready to show to all parents tomorrow, December 18th.

They are going to release it so that only the community can see it.

The Nain Church Group met last evening to discuss the Memorabilia Service and the Love Feasts during Christmas.

The Annual Memorabilia Service will be held in the church at 7pm as of now, but if any changes occur with COVID-19 later, this will also be changed, which we hope does not happen.

With the Love Feasts that are held through Christmas, there will be no Love Feast this year due COVID-19, this means tea and biscuits will not be served.

But the Annual Church Services will take place at 3pm on Children’s Traditional Day on December 28th, and also on Nalujuit Day January 6th.

The Annual Candle Light Church Service will be held differently in Nain this year.

The COVID-19 has impacted many lives and in many ways.

The Moravian Church Board in Labrador held a teleconference about the Candle Light service last month.

From this teleconference, the Nain Church Group met and decided to hold the service virtually for the safety of families.

The recorded Candle Light Service will be aired on OKâlaKatiget Radio on Thursday, December 24th at 4pm, and people and their families can follow the service from their home.

The apples, candles and biscuits will then be put in a bag and parents can pick them up at the Nain Moravian Church starting at 1-3:30.

Each person will also be given a sheet of paper with the Church Service schedule they can follow by, while listening to the service on radio in they’re home.

So parents remember to pick up the apples, candles and biscuits from the Church on Thursday, December 24th from 1-3:30pm.

The Nunatsiavut Group of Companies (NGC) is the business arm of the Nunatsiavut Government.

Reporting to the Labrador Inuit Capital Strategy Trust, NGC’s Mission is to create wealth in trust for Nunatsiavut Beneficiaries by owning profitable, sustainable businesses.

We spoke with Chris Webb who is the President and CEO of NGC and Chief Operating Officer, Sarah Leo.

They gave us an update within their operations.

Stay tuned to our AtjiKangitut show today to find out more from Webb and Leo.

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District has started to distribute Chromebook devices to students in Grades 7-12.

The first 1,500 Chromebooks to arrive in the province are on the ground in Labrador and, after being configured by District staff, will move into the hands of students, beginning early next week.

Chair of the District’s Board of Trustees Goronwy Price says “I am pleased to see this process unfolding for our students,” “Since the Provincial Government provided $20 million to support digital learning, we have been working with suppliers and distributors, and determining the best approaches to getting these resources into students’ hands.

In July 2020, the Provincial Government funded the purchase of more than 5,000 laptops for teachers and in excess of 30,000 Chromebooks for Grades 7-12 students.

The distribution of teacher laptops is near completion.

The distribution of Chromebooks will involve multiple rollouts of devices as shipments arrive in the province.

All devices must then be appropriately configured, catalogued, and prepared for shipping to schools.

These resources will be provided for student use, but will remain the property of the District and be used to benefit all students as they move through the province’s K-12 public education system.

As the District awaits arrival and configuration of the remaining Chromebooks for Grades 7-12, families are also being advised to contact their school if they do not have access to the Internet or a personal technology device at home.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine quietly arrived in the province.

Premier Andrew Furey and Health Minister John Haggie were at St. John’s International Airport earlier yesterday morning to watch the arrival.

Furey calls the arrival “historic” and a great day for the province.

Furey says the arrival represents hope for 2021. He says the plan is to start doing the vaccinations today, Wednesday, December 16th.

Meanwhile, Furey says officials are planning a public event to document the first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine in this province.

But that’s only if that person is open to it.

Furey says there’s value in holding a public event around that, as long as regular hospital operations aren’t disrupted.

He says they don’t want “a circus per se,” but there is a desire to document the historic event while at the same time displaying the confidence that health care workers have in the vaccine.

The province’s first shipment includes enough to inoculate 975 people with the two required doses.