A Paulicyworks Milestone 2020: Students on Ice Turns 20

What’s missing for the youngsters in the North is the sense of a future in the place where they were born. ----Peter Larkin, Science and the North: an Essay on Aspirations, December 1976

Many readers have probably not heard about the entrepreneurial enterprise of Students on Ice (SOI) established by its visionary leader Geoff Green in 2000. But SOI is a true Canadian experiment designed to give young people a sense of the fragility as well as the resilience of our planet at both poles. It connects youth to peers, elders, scientists, experts, artists, musicians, photographers, journalists, business and opinion leaders and many others. At the end of the day, education, mentoring and training of the next generation in all aspects of polar environments is the only sustainable resource. As the SOI mission puts it succinctly,

We believe in the power of connecting youth to nature and fostering with them an appreciation for the planet, themselves and each other. Education is the foundation of the SOI approach and we are dedicated to inspiring and supporting youth and providing them the necessary tools to instil positive change in their communities and around the world.

Since its 2000 launch, SOI’s team has organized many expeditions to both poles, with celebrations of the on-board students and Indigenous youth from Canada and around the globe often hosted by the Museum of Nature. Among other engagements, the SOI played a key role in the International Polar Year of 2007-08 and its landmark 2017 C3 expedition from coast to coast to coast to inspire a deeper understanding of the country and its peoples left a huge legacy. More from the SOI vision and its partnerships centred on community and connections is to come as it plans ahead for an Arctic expedition in 2021 and another to the Antarctic in 2022. See more.

By Paul Dufour