Naapinneq, a Kalaallisut term referring to gathering, brought together Inuit maternal and child health professionals from Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) and Nunavut (Canada) to share knowledge and explore culturally grounded approaches to parenting.
By Christine Ingemann, Vice-Lead of the UArctic Thematic Network on Health and Well-being in the Arctic, Postdoc
Ingelise Olesen, Research Coordinator, Centre for Public Health in Greenland, NIPH, University of Southern Denmark & Institute for Health and Nature, Ilisimatusarfik
The project focused on Kalaallit Nunaat’s parenting program MANU and Nunavut’s Indigenous-led parenting/childrearing program Inunnguiniq. In August 2024, professionals from Nuuk participated in the Inunnguiniq facilitator workshop hosted by the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Center (QHRC) in Iqaluit, and in 2025, partners from QHRC visited Nuuk to share Inunnguiniq at a MANU workshop with over 50 professionals from across Kalaallit Nunaat. Participants described the exchange as transformative – reconnecting with Inuit values and affirming the importance of language, land, and kinship in childrearing. Outcomes include strong interest in identifying Kalaallit Inuit childrearing values, continued collaboration with Nunavut, and advocacy for culturally grounded early childhood services. In 2026, we aim to continue to build on these experiences through ongoing dialogue, exchange, and scientific documentation of the process.
Reference:
Ingemann, C., Mike, N., Montgomery-Andersen, R., Berthelsen, D., Hougaard, N. R., Jørgensen, M. J., Kajusen, R. D., Lind, L. I., Nørtoft, K., Willesen, A., & Olesen, I. (2026). Naapinneq: Strengthening Inuit Maternal and Child Health Through Gathering Kalaallit Inuit and Inuit from Nunavut. International Journal of circumpolar health. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2026.2634479
This project is part of the activities of the UArctic Thematic Network on Health and Well-being in the Arctic.
Thanks to financial support from Arctic governments, UArctic is able to provide funding towards collaborative projects of its members. The funding from the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (DAHES) supports network activities related to Arctic research and education across all fields of science, and it is aimed at strengthening collaboration between member institutions within the Kingdom of Denmark as well as internationally.
