Northern perspectives on board Students on Ice, and Beyond: A report on the 2016 Expedition

• Main Author: McGregor, Heather E.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: education; Inuit education; Indigenous youth; leadership development; experiential learning; environmental education; Arctic; Nunavut; Yukon; Northwest Territories; Nunavik; Canada; Greenland; Soi; Climate change; inuit; Alaska
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1974/28707

Executive Summary: This research is focused on the participation of Northern students in the youth program called Students on Ice (SOI). SOI is a non-profit foundation based in Gatineau, Quebec that takes youth ages 14-24 from around the world on ship-based educational expeditions to the Polar Regions. Deeply embedded in the education program and expedition experience are science education, the spirit of exploration, experiential learning, and youth leadership development. A growing number of youth and adults from the circumpolar regions (Alaska, Canada [Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik/Northern Quebec, Nunatsiavut/Labrador] and Greenland) participate in SOI each year. SOI continues to make program changes to better respond to and include Northerners. In the context of this unique youth experience, this research asks: 1. What dimensions of the SOI experience (before, during and after) have the most significant impacts on Northern youth and educators, especially in terms of (but not limited to): a. supporting personal growth, education and leadership skills? b. encouraging engagement with and ongoing dialogue regarding important Arctic issues, such as (but not limited to) climate change? 2. What dimensions of the SOI experience best facilitate learning from the perspectives of Northerners about the North? 3. Based on the experiences and perspectives of Northerners, how can SOI improve its programs to increase responsiveness to Northern peoples and communities? The research was conducted on the 2016 Arctic expedition, involving multiple methods: participant observation, pre-expedition and end-of-expedition workshops, one-on-one interviews with staff members, small group interviews with students, one-on-one interviews by phone after the expedition with students, and analysis of documents such as feedback forms and social media postings. This report offers a detailed account of the Northern youth experience on SOI, and the integration of Northern perspectives during the program, from my own perspective ...