Growing up alongside a territory: Youth reflect on 25 years of Nunavut

Nunavut redesigned Canada's map when it officially became a territory on April 1, 1999. 

Covering 2 million square kilometres and a fifth of the country, the creation of Nunavut ultimately gave the territory's Inuit control of their future. 

But 25 years of Nunavut has since left some with feelings of both hope and disappointment, especially for the new generation that has emerged since the territory was created. 

Born shortly after the spring solstice in 1999, Eva Muckpah is part of a group of Nunavummiut who have grown up alongside the territory itself. 

Muckpah is studying to be a social worker at Nunavut Arctic College — a job desperately needed in a territory with a severe shortage of Inuit social workers. 

"Hopefully in the future, there'll be more Inuit in the services so that they know and understand what the families are going through," Muckpah said. 

For Premier P.J. Akeeagok, the younger generation in Nunavut is one of the territory's greatest strengths. 

"I see so much optimism and so much hope when I see the youth that are pursuing their dreams," Akeeagok said. 

Not only is Nunavut the youngest member of Canada's Confederation, it's also the youngest demographically speaking. Around one in two people living in the territory are under the age of 25, according to the most recent census data. 

Akeeagok embodies this reality himself, having been chosen as premier at the age of 37, making him the youngest in the role in Canada at the time. 

Twenty years earlier, Nunavut's first premier Paul Okalik had broken a similar record when he was elected at the age of 34. 

Today, Akeeagok says the time of Nunavut being looked upon as a young territory is slowly fading. 

"I believe we've gone through that initial stage of the growth," he said, comparing the territory to "an igloo being built." 

"You need to have a solid foundation, to ensure that, by the time you get to the top, it will withstand the different pressures, whether they're positive, or the challenges that we face as a territory."