Darlene Nuqingaq is a passionate Nunavut educational leader and volunteer music education advocate. In her 37-year career, she has taught students from Grades K-12; been a principal of an elementary school and a middle school; designed, facilitated, and taught courses in the Nunavut Educational Leadership Certification Program and Master of Education Program for Inuit Educators; and developed and taught courses for pre-service teachers at the Nunavut Arctic College’s Teacher Education Program.
She strongly believes in mentoring others and encouraging them to pursue their life’s goals. In addition to her family and career life, she has been an active music education volunteer. Thirty years ago, she founded the Iqaluit Fiddle Club and over the years has taught fiddle lessons to hundreds of students. Twenty-eight years ago, she co-founded the Iqaluit Music Society and has fundraised and facilitated music education programs, especially the beloved annual Summer Music Camp for 25 years! She has witnessed the power of music education to instill and inspire pride in self, language, and culture; and the desire to take on leadership opportunities among her youth participants.
In 2020, she co-led the Imaa team which won The Arctic Inspiration Prize’s $1M prize to start its dream project: ‘Imaa: Like This’ – a daily afterschool traditional music program for young Inuit elementary school aged participants, taught by Inuit high school and college student role models, and mentored by Inuit Traditional Knowledge Keepers and other resource people. Inspired by this opportunity, and the desire to support other Nunavut teams to be nominated for this prize, she now works part-time as the Nunavut Region Manager for The Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP). Through her work with the AIP, she learned about The Counselling Foundation of Canada, and is looking forward to serving as a Director on its Board as their Vision aligns with her own: “A day when all people in Canada are able to contribute their skills and talents to help build a more prosperous, equitable and inclusive society”.
