Becoming Arctic Ambassadors: Preparing Inuit Youth for Leadership on Expeditions & Beyond

Abstract

This case study identifies the components of an environmental education and leadership development program that are uniquely important to engaging a specific group of learners: Inuit youth from across the Circumpolar Arctic. The introduction of a community-building pre-program, customized to the perspectives of these youth and held prior to joining a larger expedition, made a significant difference to their participation in the program. In seeking to engage, prepare, and support Indigenous youth to become environmental change leaders, this research suggests they benefit from the safety net of a peer community, allowing them to engage more fully in revealing their identities, sharing their gifts, expressing their dreams, and exposing their challenges. As a result of the pre-program, they benefitted more comprehensively from, and contributed more fully to, the larger expedition's program outcomes.