Circumpolar Musings: Education and Civil Society

Art program launched in Arctic Canadian community

Amanda Graham — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:20:32 GMT

(CBC News via Eye on the Arctic, 8 April 2013) -- The principal of Peter Pitseolak High School in Cape Dorset, a community in Canada’s eastern Arctic territory of Nunavut, is trying to improve arts programming in the school. Mike Soares says he was surprised to find that arts were not a strong subject in the school when he arrived in the hamlet three years ago since Cape Dorset is famous around the world for Inuit art. “It had pretty much got to the point where art was just paint by numbers,” he said. He says he has a good reason to try to turn that around. “Some of our students over the years have left school because they’ve found that they can produce art and sell it and then school becomes less important, in the same way that in Fort McMurray kids might leave school to go work in the oil patch,” said Soares. Almost half the kids have a carver in their family. Soares has been working with a foundation willing to pay local artists to come and work in the school. Last week, some grade 11 students met with Wen Xie, a Chinese jade carver who was in town for a month to work with other artists. Xie said he feels that students are interested when he talks about the history of carving in China. “I know a lot of kids, like 13, 14, also younger, like 11 years old, they don’t come to school, but they do some soapstone carving. I try to find them to bring them here. I really want to find them,” said Xie. Soares is also working with the National Art Gallery and the Northwest Company to repatriate some works of art so that he can put them on display in the school and inspire others.

Norway gets Arctic university

Amanda Graham — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 20:18:51 GMT

(Trude Pettersen/Barents Observer, 18 February 2013 ) -- The Norwegian Government last week decided to establish a new, large university in Norway, the University of Tromsø – Norway's Arctic University. “Together we can develop higher education and research within Norway’s most important target area,” the rectors of the two institutions Jarle Aarbakke and Sveinung Eikeland say in a joint statement. “The name clearly shows the Government’s emphasis on the university as a central tool to ensure the nation’s interests in the north,” the University of Tromsø’s web site reads. Both the establishments are the world’s northernmost in their category. The University of Tromsø was established in 1968 and is the largest research and educational institution in northern Norway. The main focus of the University's activities is on the Auroral light research, space science, fishery science, biotechnology, linguistics, multicultural societies, Saami culture, telemedicine, epidemiology and a wide spectrum of Arctic research projects. The close vicinity of the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and the Polar Environmental Centre gives Tromsø added weight and importance as an international center for Arctic research. Finnmark University College was established in 1994 and has with three campuses in Alta, Hammerfest and Kirkenes. Minister of Education and Research Kristin Halvorsen says the name of the new university underlines the responsibility the region has: “Through the merge the two institutions will unite, strengthen and develop research and higher education of high quality in the north and in Norway”, NRK writes. The merge will be effective from August 1, 2013.

UArctic signs agreement with Arctic indigenous peoples organizations

Amanda Graham — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:59:37 GMT

(UArctic News, 28 March 2012) -- The University of the Arctic (UArctic) today reached a new level of cooperation with the indigenous organizations that are permanent participants in the Arctic Council. By signing a Memorandum of Understanding with these organizations, UArctic formalizes and strengthens a long-standing relationship with these organizations that goes back to before the University of the Arctic was created. Already, in the feasibility study phase of UArctic the (then) three indigenous peoples permanent participant organizations drafted a statement of support and a challenge to the new organization entitled, “With Shared Voices”. Jan Henry Keskitalo, UArctic’s Vice-President Indigenous, has been working to reinvigorate this relationship by increasing communication and cooperation between UArctic and the permanent participants in the Arctic Council. This Memorandum of Understanding reflects that work, and our common commitment to work together to ensure indigenous issues and perspectives are reflected in all our activities. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the parties during the Senior Arctic Officials meeting of the Arctic Council in Stockholm, Sweden on March 28, 2012. Attending the signing ceremony will be UArctic president Lars Kullerud, representatives of the permanent participants, and some invited guests. This agreement brings UArctic another step towards increased cooperation with indigenous peoples as formulated in the UArctic Strategy 2008-2013. The cooperation between UArctic and the permanent participants will help to ensure that higher education in the North meets the needs of the region’s indigenous peoples, as well as reflecting the significant contribution of indigenous knowledge systems.

Working to promote nature photography through Arctic universities

Amanda Graham — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:54:30 GMT

(GRID-Arendal, 3 February 2012) -- GRID-Arendal's Lawrence Hislop is attending a University of Lapland and UArctic workshop to explore collaboration on Arctic Nature Photography. The meetings started in Kuusamo at the Oulanka Research Station, University of Oulu where Riku Paavola, Director of the Research Station introduced the station’s photography related activities. After Kuusamo, the group convened at the University of Lapland, where they met with Rector Mauri Ylä-Kotola, Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design who also leads the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Art and Design, and researchers at the Arctic Centre. The workshop continues in extremely cold temperatures in Pyhätunturi in northern Finland, hosted by Outi Snellman, lead of UArctic’s International Secretariat. Professor Juha Suonpää, recently appointed Professor of Nature Photography at the University of Lapland and Lawrence Hislop, head of UNEP’s polar programme, lead discussions on cooperation within the area of nature photography in the context of UArctic with a group of prominent photographers, researchers and educators from a broad range of backgrounds.

New Inuvialuit history course to be taught

Amanda Graham — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:06:05 GMT

(CBC News, 13 February 2012) -- A new course on Inuvialuit history is being taught in local high schools throughout the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The course was developed by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Beaufort Delta Education Council. It is being introduced in a pilot project for students in grades 10 and 11. “Where they came from, what accomplishments they have, what challenges they have faced throughout their history,” said Bob Simpson, who works with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. It’s called ‘Tiemani’, which means ‘at that time’ in the Inuktitut dialect spoken in the region. It’s currently an optional credit, but Simpson says they want to change that. He said they're approaching the Department of Education to make the course mandatory. Anna Pingo teaches the course in Inuvik. “We’re just on Module 1, which is focusing on the history of the Inuvialuit. We were really surprised to see their textbook because it’s much bigger than we expected, it’s got such nice pictures and a lot of stories in there,” said Pingo. Pingo says she’s gotten high praise for the new classroom materials.

Nunavut unveils new high school curriculum

Amanda Graham — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:28:41 GMT

(CBC News, 10 February 2012) -- Nunavut's new high school curriculum will offer students a choice of six majors with an emphasis on practical skills, in the hopes it will keep more students in school. Inuit elders and education staff, who have been working on the new curriculum for years, also say it’s a better reflection of the territory’s unique culture. Nunavut’s current education guidelines were set before it became its own territory and they were based on those of Alberta and the other territories. The government has decided to move to a new multiple-option system. In addition to courses such as math and science, students can choose to major in one of six new areas: Introduction to trades and technology; History, heritage and culture; Community caregiving and family studies; Entrepreneurship and small-business studies; Fine arts and crafts; and Information technology. Diplomas will display students’ majors when they graduate. “We’re hoping it will keep more kids in school. Because right now, sometimes there isn’t as much practical hands-on coursework and it’s very ad-hoc,” said Cathy McGregor, director of curriculum development for Nunavut’s Department of Education. “So I think if it’s more organized and more co-ordinated, it might be more stimulating and challenging for kids.” Pascale Baillargeon, a guidance counsellor at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit, comes face to face with the territory’s notoriously high drop-out rates and low attendance every day. But she says it is not a hopeless cause. “The kids are genuinely interested. It’s just making that connection,” she said. The Department of Education hopes the new curriculum will do the trick but Baillargeon said it won’t solve every issue. Some of the curriculum’s limitations are that few schools, if any, will be able to offer all six specialties. Most will only be able to provide two or three. The new curriculum comes into effect in September 2013.

The University of the Faroe Islands to offer new degrees programmes

Amanda Graham — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:28:36 GMT

(Invest in the Faroes, 3 January 2012) -- Although the Faroe Islands has a population of only 50,000 people, the country has its own University with about 600 students. For the past few years, increased funding to the University has enabled it to develop new courses of study. Some of these relate directly to the Faroese labour market and will thus satisfy the demand for higher education in applied as well as theoretical fields. For example, the University will offer a new degree programme in food science. One of the aims of this programme will be to to improve the applied aspects of the food industry in the Faroe Islands, but it will also aim to develop the industry's opportunities for growth and prosperity. At the same time, the programme will seek to contribute to the scientific side of the food industry while taking into consideration the natural resources in the Faroe Islands, especially the marine resources – the main basis of the Faroese economy. Another course of study that the University of the Faroe Islands is working on developing is in communication and journalism. Until now Faroese people have had to move to Denmark, Norway or other neighbouring countries to pursue higher education this field. The specifics surrounding the degree in communication and journalism are not set in stone yet, but it is likely to be arranged as a Master's level degree programme that can be taken after achieving a Bachelor's degree in the social sciences or the arts. The plan is also to offer the new degree programme as an option for those people that already have an advanced higher education in related fields.

Special YC course: Learning through Service: Arctic Winter Games 2012

Amanda Graham — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:59:06 GMT

(Yukon College, 19 December 2011) -- Yukon College is piloting a service-learning course this winter that will take advantage of the volunteer opportunity offered by Whitehorse's hosting the 2012 Arctic Winter Games. Essentially, volunteer, come to class, and through academic consideration of the experience and its context, earn university-level Northern Studies elective credits. NOTE: The course outline shown on the linked page is for a different offering of this course. The current outline may be retrieved from the enclosure URL below this post.

Course description: This course is a multidisciplinary service-learning course grounded in Northern Studies. It links the 2012 Arctic Winter Games and academic study through volunteer service to the Games. The course involves four main elements: establishing an academic framework for the service experience that includes preparing a background paper, developing a student-centred approach to thinking about the experience and drawing meaning from it, volunteering in some capacity at the Games, and presenting a thoughtful evaluation and summary of both learning and volunteering experiences.

Nunavut college offers free online course

Amanda Graham — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:24:04 GMT

(CBC News, 17 November 2011) -- For the first time, Nunavut Arctic College is offering a free online university course to residents of the territory. In co-operation with the University of the Arctic, the college is making the Introduction to the Circumpolar World course available free-of-charge. "If you've ever thought about taking a university course or if you have taken university courses but you'd just like to have a university-look at the Arctic, this is a good opportunity," said Jack Hicks, university studies co-ordinator with Nunavut Arctic College. Hicks said the college also offered the course last year, but at a cost, and the school now wants to see if that prevented anyone from taking the course. Introduction to the Circumpolar World is a broad, survey course on the Arctic, its environment, people and issues. It's a first-year university level course and is the pre-requisite for taking further University of the Arctic courses in circumpolar studies.

UArctic responds to Canadian funding situation

Amanda Graham — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:10:29 GMT

(Barents Observer, 27 October 2011) -- The recent decision by the Government of Canada to dramatically cut funding to the University of the Arctic will have an impact on not only the ability of Canadian students to participate in UArctic Programs, but also on thousands of other students around the circumpolar world who benefited from them. "The funding decision from Canada is regrettable, and means that at least two of UArctic’s signature programs – the Circumpolar Studies undergraduate program and the north2north student mobility program – now face significant challenges," says UArctic President Lars Kullerud in a press release. As BarentsObserver reported, The Canadian government has cut three quarters of the University of the Arctic’s budget - from a total of more than $700,000 down to about $150,000. UArctic has already taken steps, however, to ensure the continuity of service of programs like Circumpolar Studies. This undergraduate program has a unique history, in which Canadians and Canadian institutions have played a key role. The curriculum was developed through the collective efforts of scientists, indigenous experts, and academics from across the circumpolar region who shared a vision that northerners should have a common understanding of the region that derives from their own perspectives, rather than from southern capitals. The value of the work done in Canada can be seen clearly across the pole in places like Bodø, Norway, Fairbanks, Alaska, Prince George, Thunder Bay and Nunavut in Canada, Rovaniemi, Finland and Yakutsk, Russia, where students who live and study in the North are taught the same Circumpolar Studies Program. At the Northeastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Russia, for example, every first year student takes BCS100 – Introduction to the Circumpolar World – which resulted in over 3000 students there learning from the same material as their colleagues in Canada, Alaska, and the Nordic countries. The main impact of Canada’s cut in funding is that the University of Saskatchewan, which has provided tremendous support to UArctic by hosting the Undergraduate Office, is no longer financially able to continue in that role. The Northeastern Federal University in Yakutsk will take over the hosting of the Undergraduate Office.

Feds cut funding to University of the Arctic

Amanda Graham — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:18:15 GMT

(CBC News, 18 October 2011) -- The federal government has cut three quarters of the University of the Arctic’s budget, forcing the organization to scale down its operations in Canada. The online university was created in 2001 and has more than 120 institutions across the circumpolar world, 33 of which are in Canada. It has had more than 10,000 registrations for its courses since 2002. The federal government has not released information on the reason for the cuts. The cuts are renewing debate about how to bring much-needed training, skills and human development to northerners. "We're at a little bit of an impasse," said Hayley Hesseln, the consortium's dean of undergraduate admissions, based at the University of Saskatchewan. "What we've come down to now is a matter of different values and different needs." None of the world's 50 universities located north of the 60th parallel is in Canada and that lack has been loudly decried by former governors general Adrienne Clarkson and Michaelle Jean. Higher education in the North has been a federal goal since the last Liberal government. The need for everyone from nurses to administrators has long been pointed out by industry and government. Nunavut can't fully staff its civil service because too few Inuit have the appropriate education. ... Although UArctic gets funding from the Finnish and Norwegian governments, the Canadian government has always been one of its biggest backers. Taxpayers contributed about $3.8 million between 2004 and 2010. But earlier this year, Ottawa informed the university that its funding would be chopped to about $150,000 from more than $700,000. The reason, said Hesseln, was that the three territorial governments have never chipped in any of their own cash, which was a condition for long-term federal commitment.

Arctic Council Ministers acknowledges work of UArctic

Amanda Graham — Mon, 16 May 2011 19:48:45 GMT

(UArctic News, 16 May 2011) -- In the Declaration following the Seventh Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council in Nuuk the Ministers and Permanent Participants recognized the importance of the work done by the University of the Arctic. In 'Science and Monitoring' section, the Nuuk Declaration dedicates a paragraph to the work conducted under the auspices of UArctic. The Ministers and Permanent Participants first congratulated the University of the Arctic for its 10th anniversary, being celebrated in Rovaniemi accompanying the UArctic Council meeting in June. Furthermore, the Declaration emphasizes the importance of the contributions of UArctic in the past, present and future for capacity-building in the Arctic, particularly by fostering traditional and scientific knowledge relevant for Arctic indigenous peoples as well as policy makers and Arctic communities. Continuous support for the work of UArctic is encouraged. In several previous Arctic Council declarations the work of UArctic has been recognized. The 2011 declaration constitutes an important step, however, in ensuring continuous endorsement of UArctic through the Arctic Council. The 2011 Nuuk Declaration can be accessed here. Please follow this link to see previous Arctic Council declarations.

Who Owns the Arctic? A Resource Guide

Amanda Graham — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:32:02 GMT

(Canadian Studies Center, University of Washington) -- The Center co-sponsored the February educator workshop, Who Owns the Arctic?, with the World Affairs Council (WAC). WAC produced a tremendous resource guide downloadable here with extensive resources on Arctic studies.

Inuit cultural school opens in Nunavut

Amanda Graham — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:28:36 GMT

(CBC News, 5 April 2011) -- Young Inuit can now learn about their language and traditions at a new cultural school that opened this week in Nunavut. The Piqqusilirivvik Inuit Cultural School officially opened Wednesday in Clyde River, Nunavut, a hamlet of about 820 on the coast of northeastern Baffin Island. Developed by the territorial government, the school aims to preserve the Inuit culture in Nunavut, where 84 per cent of the population is Inuit, by teaching youth the Inuktitut language and traditional activities such as hunting, craft-making, and Arctic outdoor survival. "It's not only the first for Nunavut, it's the first in our country," Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak said at the opening ceremony. The first set of 26 students — one selected from each community in Nunavut — are expected to begin classes with 14 instructors in September. The students will stay in dormitory-style rooms inside the school, which also has several open-concept classrooms, a wood shop and a sewing room. Semesters will be about three to four months long, matching the length of the seasons, according to officials. "Knowing who you are, as an Inuk, is just so incredibly important," said Becky Kilabuk, youth programs coordinator with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association in Iqaluit.

State's only tribal college produces record graduating class

Amanda Graham — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:16:22 GMT

(The Arctic Sounder, 27 April 2011) -- Dozens of graduates walked between pieces of whale baleen and across the stage at a local school Friday night, making history as part of the largest tribal-college graduation in Alaska history. Seventy students received a degree, certificate or GED from Ilisagvik College this term. Administrators say that's the biggest graduating class they've ever seen, almost tripling last year's class. New President Brooke Gondara, who took over the top spot at Alaska's only tribal college in January, credited "tons of workforce development courses" for part of the growth. "I mean, things are really robust and going really, really well at the college right now. I'm very excited," she said. The registrar's office says enrollment is up only slightly compared to past years. Officials at Ilisagvik, the only tribal college in Alaska, said more students are coming back to finish programs instead of dropping out. They couldn't explain why students are more determined. ... Ilisagvik officials say about a dozen students earned GED diplomas this term. More than 40 earned certificates. Eleven earned associates degrees. Besides being the largest graduating class to date, this was also the commencement ceremony with one of the highest ever participation rates from graduates, with nearly 40 walking across the stage.

Greenland’s mine school: quality learning, in English

Amanda Graham — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:47:38 GMT

(Jim Bell/Nunatsiaq News, 4 April 2011) -- SISIMIUT, GREENLAND - For Hans Henrichsen, manager of the Greenland School of Minerals and Petroleum in Sisimiut, there’s only one standard worth reaching for: best of class. “We are taking the best of the best in Greenland. Our goal is to prove that Greenland miners are as good as any around the world,” Henrichsen said March 31 to a group of visitors from Nunavut. Agnico-Eagles Mines Ltd. flew the group to Greenland following a two-day tour of the company’s gold mine in Kittilä, Finland, where the Nunavut visitors met numerous highly educated Finns who have landed good jobs in mining. On the Greenland leg of the tour, the group learned how an Inuit jurisdiction has figured out a way to deliver that education. Henrichsen said the Greenland government decided in 2007 to build a new mining school in Sisimiut to meet a big national goal: training at least 1,500 Greenlanders for the mining industry. That’s because Greenland expects seven to eight new mines will emerge there within the next decade, producing lead, zinc, diamonds, iron, gold, molybdenum and rare earths. In 2008, the school began accepting students. Since then, 123 of 128 people who signed up for training programs have completed their courses, Henrichsen said.

Nunavut Arctic College launches online course

Amanda Graham — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:36:16 GMT

(Nunatsiaq News, 11 February 2011) -- Nunavut Arctic College has launched its first all-online course as part of its new university studies diploma. Thirty-two students from Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Pangnirtung, Resolute Bay, Rankin Inlet and Ottawa are enrolled in the course that started Jan. 31. In a news release, the college said students have formed study groups in each community and a bilingual instructor based in Iqaluit is also available to help. The course, introduction to circumpolar studies [sic, Introduction to the Circumpolar North], includes a range of topics including science, studies of the Arctic’s indigenous populations and contemporary issues. It also aims to build student skills in critical thinking, essay writing and online learning. The course is recognized as a credit by many member institutions of the University of the Arctic.

Website aims to help people learn Alaskan native Eyak language

Amanda Graham — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:09:25 GMT

(Eye on the Arctic, 4 January 2011) -- A new website launched on January first seeks to help people learn the Eyak language through weekly words and help from linguistic experts. The language of the Eyak people of the Cordova area is considered extinct. The last fluent speaker, Chief Marie Smith Jones died in 2008. Alaska Native linguistics expert Dr. Michael Krauss documented the language in such meticulous detail that it was possible for someone to learn Eyak. The question became would people do so? The website's project director Laura Bliss Spaan says she first met Chief Marie 20 years ago and was struck by the story of the disappearing Eyak language. Bliss Spaan worked with Chief Marie and Dr. Krauss, helping to document the sound and inflection of the Eyak language. When they put together language kits, they had an unusual request for one from a young man in France, who became fascinated by the Eyak language at age 12. Bliss Spaan says the young man, Guillaume Leduey now speaks Eyak fluently and last year came to Alaska. Chief Marie's granddaughter Sherry Smith says her grandmother said the language would come back through the children or through a person from afar. Smith says she's working to make sure her 18-month-old daughter carries out the first part of that vision. Smith says the young Frenchman Guillaume, will be helping out with lessons on the new website, assisting with difficult pronunciations. Smith says it's crucial to use the language and modernize it for relevant use today, developing words for computer, cell phone and other present day items.

Kids can learn Inuktitut with wooden blocks

Amanda Graham — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:22:51 GMT

(Sarah Rogers/Nunatsiaq News, 21 December 2010) -- It’s not unusual to see libraries and schools in Inuit communities across the north filled with mostly English-language books and materials based on life in the south. That’s why one Iqaluit family decided to create something relevant for their own children and other Inuktitut-speaking youngsters. Franco and Mary Buscemi recently designed Inuktitut — i, pi, ti, ki —wooden blocks. The product: a set of 16 wooden blocks, each with three Inuktitut syllabics corresponding to Inuit icons like the ulu, caribou antlers and berries. The colourful, one-and-half-inch blocks serve as both a toy and an educations resource. “There are lots of English and even French-language resources here but not much in Inuktitut,” Buscemi said. “So we started looking at how to get some made. (My wife and I) wanted it to be relevant to the Inuit and the north.” Buscemi says his own kids, who speak both English and Inuktitut at home, have been playing with a prototype of the blocks for the past couple of years now — stacking them, creating words and inventing games. Although the blocks were originally made for young children, Buscemi said adults have been buying and using them, too. Since the first batch came off the sealift last October, the Buscemis have sold 50 sets — while the Government of Nunavut has distributed hundreds more in schools and daycare centres across the territory.

Native students thrive in innovative program

Amanda Graham — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:29:45 GMT

(Tim Bradner/Anchorage Daily News, 18 December 2010) -- What I want from Santa this year is some good news about anything. Afghanistan, Pakistan, the economy, Congress, a gas pipeline, our state's long-term prospects, our education system. Please, Santa, put some good news about something in my stocking Christmas morning. There is, however, one bit of good news, a present I already know is under the tree. This is in education, and it is the continuing accomplishments, stunning achievements, I think, of an innovative program helping rural students at the University of Alaska Anchorage. This is the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, which helps young Native Alaskans, many from small rural schools, with challenging university programs aiming them toward careers in the advanced technology and scientific professions. I write about ANSEP about once a year in this column, and each year the news gets better. The latest is that this year's group of incoming freshmen, whom ANSEP had been working with in high school, were fully prepared in math and science for their first year of university work. Zero remediation classes were needed, and some students were proficient enough in math to advance immediately to the next level. This is a significant accomplishment. To put it in perspective, consider that the university requires a large number of its freshmen, non-Native and Native alike, to take some form of remedial classes due to inadequate preparation in high school. I've never been able to get the university to tell me what percentage of freshmen they require to do catch-up work, and the fact that administrators are reluctant to talk about it tells me it's not good news. That ANSEP now brings their kids in fully ready, and from rural schools, is no small achievement.

Saami Parliament in Murmansk Oblast

Amanda Graham — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:53:34 GMT

(Barents Indigenous Peoples, 13 December 2010) -- The first Assembly of the Saami people in Murmansk Oblast, Kuelnegk Soamet Sobbar, was established on December 12th 2010. The 2nd Congress of the Saami people of Murmansk Oblast was held in Murmansk, and 73 delegates of 89 elected ones, representing Saami communities in Murmansk Oblast, elected 9 representatives for the Assembly. Kuelnegk Soamet Sobbar is established on a preliminary basis, as its prior task is to work out a draft law proposal regarding the Assembly, which is to be dealt with by regional authorities and later adopted as a law. The President of the Saami Parliament in Norway, Egil Olli, participated in the Congress, as did Stefan Mikaelsson from the Saami Parliament in Sweden and Erkki Lumisalmi from the Saami Parliament in Finland. In 2008, the 1st Saami Congress of the Saami people of Murmansk Oblast was held in Olenegorsk, and the Council of Authorized Representatives of the Saami people of Murmansk Oblast (referred to as SUPS MO), which was elected by the 72 delegates, has been working continuously with the establishment of a democratically elected Saami Assembly in Murmansk Oblast. ... Valentina Vyacheslavovna Sovkina was unanimously elected Chair of the Assembly at its first meeting immediately after the closing of the Congress.

Ilisagvik beefs up Inupiaq curriculum

Amanda Graham — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:29:11 GMT

(Arctic Sounder, 6 December 2010) -- For the first time, Ilisagvik College is offering a Conversational Inupiaq III class that will eventually become part of a second Inupiaq Language Certificate program. The program started because of requests from students who wanted to become more advanced in understanding and speaking the Inupiaq language. The goal for many of these students is to eventually become translators and interpreters, a service that is urgently needed. When the certificate program is fully instituted, it will consist of two additional conversational Inupiaq classes, two intermediate Inupiaq classes, a class in North Slope history, language and culture and a class in Inuit storytelling. Already, Inupiaq language instructor Fannie Akpik said students in the new INU 294 class said they were happy to not only be able to build on their vocabulary but also to gain a greater knowledge of their language – Inupiuraallaniq. "The more we talk about perpetuating and promoting our 'dying Iñupiaq language,' the more I think about the courses taught by the late Martha Aiken, the late Harold Kaveolook, Molly Pederson, James Nageak, Dr. Edna MacLean, the late state Rep. Eileen MacLean and Larry Kaplan from UAF. If they had not trained us in the proper usage of our language, I think our language would never have survived. I'm always grateful they taught us when they did," Akpik said. Akpik said the support of upper level administrators was key to promoting and perpetuating the Inupiaq language. "It provides for positive media about who we are and why we've survived the outside forces and pressures to change. Our real story is now being heard," Akpik said.

Ilisagvik College's marine mammal observer program moves forward

Amanda Graham — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:03:24 GMT

(Debby Edwardson/Arctic Sounder, 11 November 2010) -- In preparation for employment as marine mammal observers, seven North Slope students met at Deadhorse last summer for a specialized training opportunity. Students from Kaktovik, Nuiqsut and Barrow studied marine mammal ecology, acoustics, behavior and identification and were given an overview of the many industrial activities proposed offshore in the Arctic from seismic work, drilling and barging, to shipping and pipelines. They also learned the intricacies of data collection, the use of safety equipment and the basics of aerial surveying. And, most importantly, they were guided to recognize the role traditional Inupiaq marine knowledge plays in furthering scientific knowledge and safeguarding the North Slope's marine resources. Following the Deadhorse training, the group traveled to Barrow for industrial safety training including NSTC, taught by Ilisagvik College instructor Charlie Kanayurak and emergency procedures and onboard drills taught by Kanayurak and AMSEA instructor Mike Morris. The 2010 course was part of Ilisagvik College's marine observer stewardship training program, now approaching its fifth year of operation. It's a program that's been driven by industry demand, with training sessions custom-built to meet specific employment needs. Last summer's training was sponsored by Exxon/Jago. Programs in previous years have been sponsored by Shell/AES and Marsh Creek/Kuukpik. In recognition of its efforts in the field, the Alaska Federation of Natives, in October 2009, named Ilisagvik, "the recognized training center for Alaska Natives as marine mammal observers."

Materials: The Canadian Northern Project | Exploring the Arctic Archipelago

Amanda Graham — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 03:26:11 GMT

(TEACH Magazine, 2010) -- The question of Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic Archipelago is both important and very current. A number of countries including Russia, the United States and Denmark are claiming part of the Arctic Archipelago as their own territory. This website, brought to you by the editors of TEACH Magazine, explores this topic in a variety of ways.

The elements of The Canadian Northern Project are as follows:

A Graphic Novel that explains the scenario behind The Canadian Northern Project;
A Teacher’s Guide that breaks down all of the elements of the project. (It is recommended that teachers read this first.);
10 Challenges (Tasks and games students must complete before moving on in the project);
Four comprehensive Lesson Plans;
Curriculum Links;
Resources (Links to background sources for the major topics and issues);
Teacher and Student Wiki applications;
News (Information reports on the issue of Arctic sovereignty); and
An Online Summit (Where students submit their white paper exploring solutions to the Arctic sovereignty question).

Saami experience Nunavut in Cambridge Bay

Amanda Graham — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 22:50:50 GMT

(Jane George/Nunatsiaq News, 9 November 2010) -- When Jan-Erik Henriksen and Nina Hermansen, Saami from northern Norway, went ice fishing with Anna Kaotalok, Jerry Puglik, Doug Crossley and David Omilgoitok at Kitigak Lake near Cambridge Bay earlier this month, the two Saami found the excursion familiar — but also different from what they’re used to back home. First, the fishing was different because the lake fish were much larger than in Norway, the two Saami said. Secondly, the weather was much colder than they see in northern Norway at this time of year. And you wouldn’t see a herd of muskox wander by back home, either, Henriksen and Hermansen said. But, at the same time, jigging through the ice felt familiar to them, because Saami also survived for thousands of years by fishing — and herding reindeer — in the Arctic regions of northern Europe. Henriksen and Hermansen, who teach at Finnmark University College in Alta, Norway, arrived in Cambridge Bay on Oct. 27 to learn more about Nunavut and Nunavut Arctic College’s programs. Finnmark University College offers bachelor of arts degrees in social work and a masters degree in social work through UArctic, whose north2north exchange program, along with Norway’s Saami parliament, sponsored the two instructors’ trip of one week in Cambridge Bay and another week in Yellowknife. During a visit to one of the community’s schools, where Henriksen gave a presentation about Saami, he was reminded of his own youth in the 1970s when none of his teachers were Saami — a situation that has now changed, he said. Today in Norway, home to about 80,000 Saami, there are Saami teachers, social workers, doctors, nurses, dentists and other professionals.

KSB plans “Nunavik Sivuniksavut” for Inuit youth

Amanda Graham — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:21:07 GMT

(Sarah Rogers/Nunatsiaq News, 2 November 2010) -- Nunavik high school graduates may soon get a made-in-Nunavik option to pursue post-secondary studies. The Kativik School Board is working towards a Nunavik version of the successful Nunavut Sivuniksavut, the college-level program for Inuit students, which is based in Ottawa. Nunavik’s students could benefit from a similar program based on their own region’s history, said Elias Moukannas, an academic advisor at Kativik School Board. “NS is about teaching leadership [to Inuit students], teaching them to express their opinions, to be independent and confident,” Moukannas said. “You have to be able to understand your culture in order to talk about it.” Those skills will help to nurture the future leaders in the region, he added. Nunavik Sivuniksavut, as the program would be called, could open its doors in the fall of 2012. The program will be based in Montreal because students have identified that they benefit from the independence gained in being away from home, Moukannas said. “Everyone’s in support of this,” Moukannas said. “It’s just about finding the funding.”

University and museum strengthened

Amanda Graham — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:39:21 GMT

(Svalbardposten, 5 October 2010) -- The Norwegian Government proposes an increase of 4.8 million kronor to UNIS to establish 20 new places and to pursue the 20 new places from last year. The total proposed allocation of 97.2 million kroner. It emerged as a proposal for next year's budget that was presented on Tuesday [5 October]. "With 20 new students, we have increased the student population by 30 percent in two years. This is a large number," says UNIS managing director Gunnar Sand. He is pleased with the budget document, but notes, however, that he has not yet had time to read it carefully. The grant for the Svalbard Museum is proposed to be increased by 435,000 million, representing 1.56 million kroner this year. The total Svalbard budget for 2011 is 266.9 million NOK. This is NOK 18.1 million, or about 7 percent, more compared to last year's budget.

Greenland police arrest Greenpeace oil rig demonstrators

Amanda Graham — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:57:41 GMT

(ENS, 2 September 2010) -- BAFFIN BAY, Greenland - Four Greenpeace activists who climbed a Cairn Energy oil rig in Greenland waters were arrested this morning and are now being held in police custody in Greenland. The activists first scaled the oil rig Stena Don on Tuesday. They attached hanging platforms to the underside of the rig where they camped out in tents with self-heating meals until last night. Freezing gale-force winds forced the climbers and Greenpeace campaigners on the ship Esperanza anchored one kilometer from the rig to decide to end the occupation. It took the Greenpeacers four hours of climbing in bitter winds to scale the rig from their hanging platforms up onto the platform gantry, where police were waiting for them. They were taken into custody and flown off the oil rig by helicopter at 2 am. Before ending the occupation, climber Sim McKenna of the United States, said on his satellite phone, "We stopped this rig drilling for oil for two days, but in the end the Arctic weather beat us. Last night was freezing and now the sea below us is churning and the wind is roaring. It's time to come down, but we're proud we slowed the mad rush for Arctic oil, if only for a couple of days."

North lags in high-school grads, map shows

Amanda Graham — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:24:01 GMT

(Nunatsiaq News, 27 August 2010) -- In some regions of northern Canada, almost half of all adults have not completed high school, compared to one in 12 in southern Canada, according to the Centre for the North’s “High School Confidential” map, the third in the Conference Board of Canada’s “Here, the North” series. “There is a growing consensus that high school completion is linked to future opportunity. People without high school diplomas have fewer job opportunities, employment stability, and lower future earnings potential,” Gilles Rheaume, vice-president of the Conference Board of Canada, said in an Aug. 26 news release. Parts of northern Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and northern Manitoba have the highest rates of adults without a high school diploma. About one in two adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in each of these regions have not graduated from high school, while about one in three adults between the ages of 25 and 64 in northern Quebec have not graduated, shows the map, which is based on Statistics Canada figures. What this means is that random survey of 25 to 64 year olds in Ottawa would find one in 12 people doesn’t have a high school certificate. But in Nunavut, that number would be closer to one in two, says the Centre for the North, a Conference Board of Canada program, which works with aboriginal leaders, businesses, governments, communities, educational institutions, and other organizations, to achieve “prosperity in the North.” Its 2010 study, “Pathways to Success—How Knowledge and Skills at Age 15 Shape Future Lives in Canada,” which linked high school performance with future opportunity, noted that “the longer term prospects of early labour market entrants, with only a secondary education diploma or less, as well as those who graduated late from upper-secondary school, are also of concern. They may fall victim to increasing competition for jobs from those better qualified in terms of job opportunities, stability of employment, and future earnings.”

Canada's Arctic foreign policy includes UArctic

Amanda Graham — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:24:29 GMT

(UArctic News, 23 August 2010) -- The Government of Canada has published a booklet outlining its Arctic Foreign Policy, which includes highlighting UArctic as an important partner. You can read the entire "Statement on Canada's Arctic Foreign Policy: Exercising Sovereignty and Promoting Canada’s Northern Strategy Abroad" on their website, or download the document in PDF.

Nenets studying indigenous media in Canada

Amanda Graham — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:14:26 GMT

(Barents Indigenous Peoples, 30 June 2010) -- Yasavey, in cooperation with Norway and Canada, is looking into the possibility of establishing a Nenets radio station in Nenets Autonomous Okrug, North-West Russia, aiming at bringing Nenets language, culture and news to the Nenets, inhabiting the large tundra areas. The indigenous peoples in Canada know how to do this, and have shared their knowledge and experiences with the Nenets during a one-week study trip in Ontario, Canada. In June, Yasavey (the Public Association of Nenets People in NAO) visited several media enterprises and culture organizations and institutions in Toronto, Brantford, Six Nations and Ottawa, Ontario. Lewis Cardinal, who is the Vice-President of Aboriginal Voices Radio Network, has been involved in the project since the beginning, and he hosted the Nenets delegation together with Metis Elder, Wil Campbell, who has long experience from indigenous media work, in particular film making. The study tour was financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the project is a result of the Dialogue on the High North between Norway and Canada. In autumn 2009, the two states decided that this pre-project was to be implemented, and the Norwegian Barents Secretariat is currently responsible for carrying out the activities. This study tour will be followed up by a seminar on the establishment of a radio station, and the establishment itself will constitute the main project. Yasavey will host the seminar in Naryan-Mar in March/April 2011, in cooperation with the Nenets Autonomous Okrug Regional Administration, as well as with the Norwegian and Canadian partners. Development of the Nenets language and culture is the core of the project, as Nenets, like several other indigenous languages, are threatened by extinction. Currently, the regional radio station broadcasts in Nenets a few minutes every week, but the signals from this radio station does not reach beyond the city boundary of Naryan-Mar. Approximately 8,000 Nenets inhabit the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, whereas only 746 Nenets live in the city of Naryan-Mar, according to Yasavey.

Village students get a boost toward college

Amanda Graham — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:08:08 GMT

(Kyle Hopkins/Anchorage Daily News, 11 July 2010) -- Maybe you saw them Saturday. Twenty-six students from far-away Yup'ik villages strolling under gray skies along the Anchorage coastal trail and ordering milkshakes at Red Robin. Next time say hello. A new three-year, $1.6 million program plans to help these teenagers go to college or job training — and stick with it — on their way to becoming your classmate and co-worker. Your airplane pilot. Your boss. Paid for with a federal Department of Education grant and launched by the Alaska Humanities Forum, the program focuses on students who are two years from finishing high school and in many cases would be the first in their families to go college. Fredrick Alexie, 16, arrived from the lower Yukon River village of Emmonak. Recruiters for the program couldn't believe how high he scored on high school graduation qualifying exams, he said. With his swooping bangs and black hoodie, Alexie could be any Anchorage teen, but he says this is only his second visit to the city. The first was when he was born. Others know every shopping mall in Anchorage, but all may face the day when they'll travel hundreds of miles from familiar, tight-knit villages to earn degrees. The program, called "Take Wing," is meant to familiarize the teens with campus life and assure the students and their families that, as one organizer put it, it's OK for them to be selfish about their education. In Anchorage on Saturday, they began the day at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in the woods of East Anchorage -- a kind of gradual introduction to the city. ... Alexie and students from several Yukon and Kuskokwim River villages will spend the next week living in University of Alaska Anchorage campus housing, learning their way around the city and meeting Alaska Native college students and professionals who navigated the dual worlds of campus and village life. Already the students studied prices at Fred Meyer, learning how much it would cost to stock a dorm room. There will be rock climbing. On one of the days, groups of students will be dropped off in downtown Anchorage with their supervisors and have to find their way back to UAA. They'll return to the city next year and the year after that, as Take Wing organizers work with their families to encourage the students to leave home for schooling in the face of commercial fishing demands, family emergencies and simple homesickness. Already during the short visit, reports of a recent suicide in one of the Yukon-Kuskokim Delta villages touched Take Wing students Saturday. "The more we're able to build their resilience in themselves, the more we're hoping they will be able to overcome these challenges," Matthews said.

EU promises more cash for Greenland education

Amanda Graham — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:47:56 GMT

(IceNews, 21 June 2010) -- Greenland’s government is to receive a cash injection from the European Union to help support training efforts. The subsidy of 200 million kroner (USD 33 million) will be given to the country every year until 2013 to help boost Greenland’s educational facilities. Greenland must produce reports explaining how the money is being used and the results of training in exchange for a cut of the cash. The current EU-Greenland partnership is to be evaluated and renegotiated next year, when a new agreement for the period of 2014 to 2020 will be reached. Last year, the country achieved 97 percent of stated objectives and received almost 100 percent of the 200 million kroner kitty. The money makes a big different to Greenland and its annual budget, according to Siku News. Along with the fisheries agreement, the EU assistance sees around 320 million kroner (USD 52 million) pumped into to Greenland each year. This amounts to around 5.3 percent of the government’s total revenues for 2010. A spokesperson for the EU said the money was offered “to support Greenland’s exceptional education efforts.”

Arctic Bay man learns many lessons en route to biology degree

Amanda Graham — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:07:18 GMT

(Gabriel Zarate/Nunatsiaq News, 22 June 2010) -- Sometimes getting an education teaches you more than you expected. Robby Qammaniq graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology in September 2009, a three-year degree that took him eight to complete. Qammaniq once thought of studying biology as a way into medicine, but university was so difficult that he found a new reason to continue: to help other Inuit who want a university education. Now 30, he’s only one summer away now from earning a diploma in adult education. “Inuit are starting to get used to the education system and it’s still very difficult for young people,” he said. “I had a really hard time in university and I want to make it easier for them.” ... the specialized language of university-level science was challenging for him. “The words are very technical and they are so wordy,” he said. “I had to learn it from the books and it took me a while. I’m still struggling with writing lab reports.” Qammaniq said that he quickly realized the English vocabulary used by many students from the south was much wider than his and he realized one of the main reasons for it. “The Inuit are not prepared for university because they don’t read a lot,” he said. “Because in the south the students start reading at a very young age and they can read and read and sit still for a long time rather than doing something else.” That difference, Qammaniq explained, means Inuit in university often need a little extra help understanding what certain words mean. “To understand those contexts, you have to bring out some props and media instead of reading, reading all the time,” he said. ... Once he wraps up his teaching diploma this summer, Qammaniq has a one-year contact with Nunavut Sivuniksavut as an instructor trainee. “I really want to go back up north,” Qammaniq said. “I want to be among Inuit and I want to teach them because there’s so many people who have dropped out of high school and aren’t doing anything.

Kotzebue library to close doors [mp3]

Amanda Graham — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:28:18 GMT

(Lori Townsend/APRN Anchorage, 9 June 2010) -- The Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly in Kotzebue voted yesterday to discontinue $125,000 in funds for the public library that will force it to close, leaving the region with no access to a public library. The library is a consortium with the University of Alaska Chukchi campus. The college portion will remain open but the public side will close unless the borough assembly reconsiders. Calls to Borough Mayor Martha Whiting, and Borough assembly members were not returned by air time, but Stacy Glaser, who was the library’s director for 15 years before leaving the position last year, says past attempts to close the library have always brought an outcry from the community.

Study: Inuit students benefit from schooling in own language

Amanda Graham — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:57:54 GMT

(Anchorage Daily News, 4 June 2010) -- Inuit children in Quebec learn better and have better self-esteem when taught longer in their Native language, a Canadian researcher says. Psychology professor Don Taylor of McGill University in Montreal has been studying children in the village of Kangiqsujuaq since its school made Inuttitut the language of instruction through Grade 3, reports Nunatsiaq Online. Kangiqsujuaq was the first community in the region to do this, and the Kativik School Board wanted to know what the impact was on students' learning and self-esteem, then, and as the school made the move to English- or French-language instruction in Grade 4. "There's no question that having an extra year of Inuttitut improves their language skills," Taylor said. "It provides a more solid base." When students transition into English or French studies in Grade 4, the first year is difficult, Taylor said. But by Grades 5 or 6, they've caught up, he said.

UArctic may join carbon neutral network

Amanda Graham — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:19:18 GMT

(Mandy Garner/University World News, 30 May 2010) -- The University of the Arctic, situated in one of the regions most associated with climate change, is considering joining a new United Nations initiative to promote climate neutrality. The university was formed nine years ago and is to hold a breakout session on incorporating the UN-led UNEP Climate Neutral Network initiative at a council meeting in Siberia in June. The network was set up in 2008 and aims to encourage information exchange and networking to achieve a lower carbon emission and, eventually, a carbon neutral society. Countries involved include Costa Rica, the Maldives, New Zealand and Iceland, and cities range from Cape Town to Brisbane to Nagareyama while companies such as Microsoft and Japan Airlines are also on board. ... Environment and sustainable development are key issues for the University of the Arctic. Its Fourth Rectors' Forum in August is on Sustainability, Resilience and Community Adaptation to Climate Change in the North: Postsecondary education its role. It will also hold an international symposium on the challenges of sustainable development and sovereignty in the Arctic at Université Laval in Quebec.

Most students stay in Northern Norway

Amanda Graham — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:13:40 GMT

(Barents Observer, 20 May 2010) -- Two out of three students at the University of Tromsø stay in Northern Norway after graduation, a poll shows. "It is both surprising and joyous that so many find work in the northern parts of the country," says Rector Jarle Aarbakke, according to NRK.no. A poll amongst graduates from the University of Tromsø shows that nine of ten students were in work six months after graduation. Half of the students with Bachelor, Master or Doctoral degrees from 2007 and 2008 are now working in Troms County. 8.5 percent of the students are working in Nordland County and 7.3 percent in Finnmark County. Other studies have showed that eight of ten psychologist and doctors educated at the University in Tromsø are working in one of the country’s three northernmost counties. The main argument for the need to establish a university in Northern Norway was precisely to supply Northern Norway with highly educated workers. The University was founded in 1968 and opened four years later. The University of Tromsø offers studies in medicine, law, psychology, pharmaceutics, dentistry.

Northern Manitoba doctors get funding boost

Amanda Graham — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:43:05 GMT

(CBC News, 10 May 2010) -- The federal government is spending $6.9 million to expand a program that trains family doctors for remote northern communities in Manitoba. The money will allow the medical residency program at the University of Manitoba to grow to 25 positions from 10. Medical students in training have to spend eight months in remote communities and commit to at least two years of remote practice after graduation. The expanded program will help address a shortage of northern doctors, said federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who made the announcement in Winnipeg on Monday as part of National Nursing Week.

Arctic chronicler Hallendy donates images to McMichael

Amanda Graham — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:32:59 GMT

(CBC News, 12 April 2010) -- Noted ethnographer, author and photographer Norman Hallendy has donated a trove of nearly 7,500 images of the Canadian Arctic to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the gallery announced on Monday. The 78-year-old Hallendy, who lives in the Ottawa area, captured the extensive collection of images over the past 50 years. It is the largest photographic gift ever made to the gallery in Kleinburg, Ont. "In terms of understanding the art and people of Kinngait [Cape Dorset], this is a defining moment for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection,” McMichael executive director and CEO Thomas Smart said in a statement. "It is the largest single donation of photographs, both in size and value, to come to this public institution. [Hallendy's 35-mm Kodachrome colour slides] brilliantly capture the essence of the people, the land, and the history of Kinngait." The images include Inuksuit figures, land and seascapes, icebergs, sacred sites and portraits of Arctic artists and people. Hallendy, a retired public servant who first travelled to the North while working for the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources, returned many times over the years. His numerous accolades include being honoured with the gold medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2001. During his many expeditions, Hallendy would observe, interact with and document traditional Inuit communities. He earned the trust and affection of many Inuit elders, who dubbed him Apirqsukti, "the inquisitive one," and granted him permission to see and photograph ancient and hallowed sites. This photographic gift "greatly enhances and supports our existing holdings of Inuit art, including the historic Cape Dorset archival collection on loan from the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative," Smart added, referring to the approximately 100,000-object Cape Dorset collection of drawings, prints and sculpture that has been at the McMichael for the past 20 years. Monday's donation marks Hallendy's most recent gift to the McMichael. Earlier donations include colour images from the Eastern Arctic, black-and-white negatives and photos of Kinngait artists, and Inuit drawings, prints and sculpture.

Bush University gearing up for pilot semester

Amanda Graham — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 22:31:48 GMT

(Erika Sherk/Northern News Services, 2 April 2010) -- SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - It's going to be a big year for education in the North. Dechinta: Bush University Centre for Research and Learning will accept its first students for a three-course pilot semester this summer. "The response has been quite overwhelming," says Yellowknife resident Kyla Kakfwi Scott, Dechinta's co-ordinator. "Half a dozen people have contacted me wondering how they could apply and we haven't even advertised the program at all." She says it's exciting that it is finally happening. "The idea of a university in the North has been kicking around as long as the early '70s. By no means is it a new idea," said Kakfwi Scott. Northerners have long been aware that their land, people and cultures have been, for the most part, studied by southerners living in the south. "It's frustrating for people who live here to constantly be hearing about themselves as reflected by how other people view them," she said. The teachers at Dechinta - which means "bush" in the Dene languages - will teach from a Northern perspective. Every course will be co-taught by a visiting university professor and also by a Northern expert. "In the North there's lots of people who don't have that kind of academic education, but nonetheless have an enormous amount of knowledge to share," she said. Knowledge isn't limited to formal learning and that will also be reflected in the types of students accepted. "If you don't have a high school diploma it's not going to be something that's going to prevent you from participating," Kakfwi Scott said. The university will be based at Blachford Lake Lodge, about 95 km southeast of Yellowknife. "This was a site that was both off the grid and away from town, but still offers amenities like a big indoor meeting space. We're able to not only house a lot of students there, but also their families," said Kakfwi Scott. ... Depending on funding, the first full semester will likely be offered in fall 2010 or spring 2011, says Kakfwi Scott. First, the three-week pilot semester will run this June. The courses will include Northern governance, a 40-year history of the Dene Nation and a Weledeh language program. Kakfwi Scott said they are still working on an agreement to have the courses accredited through the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Sixteen students will be accepted for the pilot. A full semester course would involve approximately 25 students and 10 children, according to Kakfwi Scott. Including visiting professors, elders and Northern experts, the maximum that can be housed at the site is 45 people. The length of each full semester will likely vary, as will the courses offered. Though the courses will be credited with several different southern universities, a typical course is 39 hours, which could be done intensively in a week. A full semester is likely to run about 12 weeks, said Kakfwi Scott. That's another key element of Dechinta - students' children are encouraged to attend and schooling will be provided for them as well. For the Dechinta students themselves, they will take intensive university-accredited courses taught on the land. See overview.

Robert Petersen awarded honourary doctorate

Amanda Graham — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:42:32 GMT

(Sermitsiaq, 26 February 2010) -- Greenland's first and only professor of Greenlandic is also the first honorary doctorate at Ilisimatusarfik. On Friday he was awarded the very first in the university's history. Honorary doctorates are awarded to people who have performed significant and extensive research at the international level and have done a great deal of research and research training at their university. "It is with great pleasure that Ilisimatusarfik awards honorary degree to the University's first rector, Professor Robert Petersen," said Rector Tine Pars while giving the award. Robert Petersen has,, through the years been a highly productive researcher in both anthropology and linguistics, with publications in English, Danish and Greenlandic. He enjoys considerable recognition internationally as a specialist not only in Greenlandic conditions, but also in the Inuit in general. "His importance in Greenland as founder of the University of Greenland, as researcher, teacher and facilitator can not be overstated," says the technical committee behind the nomination. The Committee consists of Professor Louis-Jacques Dorais of Université Laval in Quebec in Canada, Associate Professor Ole Marquardt, Ilisimatusarfik and Associate Professor Birgitte Jacobsen, Ilisimatusarfik. The medal, commissioned by Ilisimatusarfik, that honours the degree is made of 14 carat Greenlandic gold and is crafted by Palle Møller from Jewelry Workshop.

Bush schools wait years for upgrades, facilities

Amanda Graham — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:01:32 GMT

(Lisa Demer/Anchorage Daily News, 20 February 2010) -- JUNEAU - More than a decade after a state judge ruled that Alaska's system of funding for new and renovated schools was unconstitutional, the system remains unchanged and the backlog of projects in the Bush amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars. Rural lawmakers are railing and legislators from both parties say the issue has festered for far too long. Gov. Sean Parnell says he's working on a solution. The state now operates a two-pronged system to pay for costly new schools and renovations that Bush legislators say gives unfair advantage to urban districts like Anchorage. Building the first ten projects on the state-ranked construction priority list — four new schools and six expansions — would cost the state $332 million. All are in the Bush; many are located in villages within the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. "If we could tax lichen and moss, we could probably pay for our schools," said state Rep. Bob Herron, a Democrat from Bethel who's on the House budget panel for education. "There is no resource to tax." Most of the Bush schools that need repair or replacement are seriously overcrowded, with double the students they are meant for, according to state education officials, a situation that the governor and four Bush legislators including Herron saw first-hand during a Feb. 11 trip. "I saw children being taught under conditions that make it extremely difficult to learn," Gov. Parnell said in an interview. "Extremely crowded classrooms. Lack of facilities, space and equipment. Safety hazards." He added, "At least for those three schools, I am satisfied the need is there for some change to improve education delivery for young people."

Nunavut college explores creating tourism program

Amanda Graham — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:45:07 GMT

(CBC News, 27 January 2010) -- Nunavut Arctic College is about to study and develop a unique cultural tourism and hospitality program for the territory's communities. The college is receiving just over $40,000 in federal funding to work on the program, which would build on Nunavut's strengths in the cultural and arts sectors and help boost local economies. The funding, which is being administered by the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, will allow the college to work with other Nunavut organizations towards developing curricula for the program, agency director Hagar Idlout-Sudlovenick told CBC News. Nunavut Arctic College will use the funding to collect information about similar programs in the circumpolar world, said Cindy Cowan, the college's director of academic studies. "We may be doing some research ... in Norway and Finland, and looking at what that the circumpolar indigenous people are doing with their universities in terms of cultural tourism," she said. "Then phase two will be another proposal. I'm not sure who we would be going to, but we'll find a partner who will assist us in actually writing some of the courses."

Greenpeace calls for Arctic Ocean drilling ban

Amanda Graham — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:52:10 GMT

(Greenpeace International press release via Scoop New Zealand, 25 January 2010) -- Tromsø, Norway - Greenpeace is calling for an immediate moratorium on all activity by extractive industries in the Arctic Ocean, as representatives from oil companies, governments and scientists meet to discuss the future of the region at the Arctic Frontiers Conference (25-29 January) in Tromsø, Norway. Greenpeace Nordic Executive Director Mads Flarup Christensen will address the conference plenary on Tuesday 26 January. The moratorium needs to cover the part of the Arctic Ocean that has historically been covered by sea ice and remain in place until a permanent international agreement is established, similar to the agreement that protects the Antarctic. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic Ocean seabed contains over 20% of the world’s fossil fuel resources. With the urgent need to cut carbon emissions drastically and avert catastrophic climate change, these must stay underground. Scientists from Greenpeace’s summer 2009 Arctic ice expedition will present their preliminary findings on their research on the impacts of climate change in the Arctic, demonstrating the impacts of climate change are taking place faster than predicted The conference will be attended by Greenpeace campaigners from Norway, Denmark and the United States.

January 8th: Order of Canada appointee Murray Angus and ... [mp3]

Amanda Graham — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:54:26 GMT

(Editor's Choice, CBC podcast, 8 January 2010) -- Murray Angus is one of the founders of The Nunavut Sivuniksavut Program, developed to teach young Inuit about land claims. We'll hear his reaction to being named to the Order of Canada.

Education part of explanation for falling population

Amanda Graham — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:02:28 GMT

(Sermitsiaq, 5 January 2010) -- The country’s population is declining, but statisticians expect most of those who leave Greenland will return someday – not just older, but also wise. Greenland’s high emigration rate is due mostly to the large number of young people attending post-secondary schools in Denmark, according to Statistics Greenland. “What we can see is that a third of emigrants name education as the reason,” said Lars Petersen of Statistics Greenland. He pointed out that concern about a brain drain were over exaggerated. “Normally they come back within five years.” The statistics show that Greenland waves good-bye to far more people each year than it welcomes as new residents. The trend has accelerated during the past decade, and has seen the largest numbers emigrants in the 15-25 year-old bracket. “If we look at the group emigrants who were born in Greenland, we can see that much of the net population loss is due to people leaving to study,” Petersen said. In 2008, the net emigration amongst native Greenlanders was 653, the highest level in ten years. In addition to being young, most were women. Statistics Greenland figures also show that the population as a whole fell for the fourth year in a row last year. On 1 January 2005, there were 56,969 people living in Greenland. On 1 January 2010, there were 56,194.

Northwest Alaska relief

Amanda Graham — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:26:47 GMT

(Stephen Nowers/Alaska Dispatch, 29 December 2009) --Just about 20,000 pounds of fish came off a Coast Guard C-130 during an Arctic sunrise on Monday afternoon, destined for more than 800 needy families in Kotzebue and the surrounding villages. Inside the terminal at Kotzebue Airport, members of the community greeted the Kodiak-based flight crew with a prayer of thanks and a brief performance from the Northern Lights Dancers. Brenda Erlich, a personal banker with Wells Fargo, began planning for this day last February. She was inspired by last winter's relief effort for communities in the Yukon-Kustokwim Delta and wanted to be ahead of any potential shortages. "We didn't want to wait until it got to that point where people were having to choose between buying fuel or buying food," she said. Along with the fish, which was caught in Sitka and dontated by the Seattle-based hunger relief organization SeaShare, the community is expecting 30,000 pounds of dry food as part of the Wells Fargo-NANA Regional Corp. Inc. relief effort. Erlich said getting the fish to Kotzebue as the hardest part. "We were lucky enough for the Coast Guard to volunteer to bring it," she said It's more about economics than a subsistance shortfall, said Northwest Arctic Borough major Siikauraq Whiting. She said the price of milk has reached $18 a gallon in some places in the area. "We have the highest cost of living in our region and anything helps," Whiting said.

Fairbanks man pedaling to DC to highlight climate change

Amanda Graham — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:36:20 GMT

(Dan Bross/KUAC – Fairbanks via APRN, 17 December 2009) -- A Fairbanks man has taken his concerns about climate change on the road. Don Ross is riding his bike from Fairbanks to Washington, D.C. stopping along the way to get the word out about the warming planet. Ross, who has pedaled about 2,300 miles to southern British Columbia since leaving Fairbanks October 3rd, says he’s doing the trip during the winter to get attention. [mp3]

Web resource: DiscoveringTheArctic.org.uk

Amanda Graham — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:54:29 GMT

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