Recap: Arctic Frontiers and Emerging Leaders Conference 2022
This May, we had the privilege of attending the Emerging Leaders program and Arctic Frontiers conference. SOI delegates and staff travelled to Norway for this seven-day immersive experience, complete with workshops, presentations, and land-based activities. Veronica Flowers, one of the SOI delegates, has summarized the week’s events and sentiments in an original blog post featured below.
My experience with the Emerging Leaders program was nothing but amazing. The seven-day program took place in northern Norway with 30 other young leaders from across the Arctic, where we engaged in workshops, presentations, and land-based activities. The first two days of the program took place in Bodø, then we got to overnight on a ship sailing through the Lofoten Islands, ending up in Tromsø to attend the Arctic Frontiers conference. At the conference, we met with ambassadors, scientists, Sami youth, and other young leaders.
Meeting with the Sami youth stood out as a highlight for me as we got to share stories about our cultures. I was surprised to learn how Inuit and Sami have had really similar cultural experiences. It was interesting to actually meet with people from a different culture who could understand and relate to Inuit experiences.
Within Emerging Leaders we did team-building activities, icebreakers, and introduction presentations. It was interesting to learn about each person’s background and the variety of knowledge they brought to the program. To give a couple examples, there were many people with a marine biology background, so I learned a lot about the marine biology of Norway, such as the use of fish farming, and the importance of seaweed. There were also people from the Norwegian space agency, which I didn’t expect. I learned a lot about earth observation using satellites and its importance to the Arctic.
At the Arctic Frontiers conference, we got to attend a variety of presentations on Arctic issues, meet with representatives from the Norway-Canada Embassy, and speak on a panel regarding youth in Arctic communities. The panel stood out as another highlight for me, as it was the first time Arctic Frontiers hosted a panel with only Indigneous women, including the moderator. I got to share my experience as a youth living in the Arctic alongside other like-minded Indigenous youth. We also got to discuss challenges we are currently facing and improvements we’d like to see for the future, including improvements with housing, education, and cultural revitalization. I also got to share a bit about my current masters research and how it will benefit Inuit in Nunatsiavut in the future.
During our leisure time in Tromsø, we got to swim in the ocean during the midnight sun! Overall, the program was an incredible experience and I am super grateful for the opportunity from SOI. I am happy I got to visit such a beautiful country and meet so many amazing people. I hope I’ll get the chance to go back to Norway someday!
To listen to the podcast episode recapping the Arctic Frontiers and Emerging Leaders Conference click here.