Over the weekend, some Iqaluit students learned self-defence and martial arts from a taekwondo instructor. The Iqaluit Taekwondo Club now has more than 100 members and one of its goals is to keep students in school. Pauline Pemik has the story.

Taekwondo is relatively new to Nunavut. In Iqaluit, it began with a group of seven adults who felt it could make a difference. The club has about 150 members. Don Peters is the Principal at the Aqsarniit Middle School.

“Five, six years ago, our attendance rates were low. And right now we’re operating at 87 per cent attendance.”

With a limited budget, volunteers and organizers rely on fundraising and collecting supplies bit by bit. Another extra cost would be bussing the students home after their taekwondo classes. That will cost the school $30,000 alone this year. All the extra effort organizers make is worth it for the students. Alex McDiarmid (sp) is in his fourth year.

“Well taekwondo I find is very important because it helps boost people’s confidence. When I first started taekwondo I was not very confident. And now I’m a black belt and I feel I can conquer the world.”

Grand Master Lu along with the 1998 world taekwondo champ Peggy Seely both led the group over the four-day training camp.

“So if we can keep these kids going to school, keep them interested in taekwondo, they learn leadership. And then they can impart that to their, well their friends or colleagues. That’s the motivator.”

With a high drop-out rate and low graduation numbers in the territory, any activity which helps students stay in school is a success of its own.

– Pauline Pemik, CBC News, Iqaluit

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/iqaluit-principal-brings-taekwondo-workshop-to-city-1.2836402