The Arctic Youth Conference (AYC) hosted by the Norwegian Chairship of the Arctic Council (2023-2025) is coming to a close in Tromsø, Norway. The three-day conference has gathered almost 300 young people from across the Arctic and beyond, as well as Arctic Council delegates from Arctic States, Permanent Participants and Working Groups.
It was the first conference of its kind and an important deliverable of the Norwegian Chairship, which includes youth as a cross-cutting priority throughout its Chairship program.
From beginning to end, the conference was planned and organized by youth for youth. Young people have planned, hosted and engaged in more than 30 plenaries, side events and workshops that focused on the five conference priorities: Youth Leadership in the Arctic, Preservation of Indigenous Culture and Identity, Young Researchers and Knowledge Holders in Arctic Science: Co-development of Knowledge, Preparedness and Resilience, and Mental Wellbeing.
To ensure that the conference remained a youth-driven initiative at its core, Norway established a Chairship Youth Committee, which over the past eight months has strategically overseen the planning and execution of the conference. The nine young people comprising the committee represented the two incoming Chairships, the Kingdom of Denmark and Sweden, the Saami Council and Council’s Indigenous Permanent Participant’s Youth Network, the Arctic Youth Network, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), the University of the Arctic, Nordland County Youth Council, Troms County Youth Council, and the World Reindeer Herders.
Reindeer Herding and Resilience project team has also been a part of this event in Tromsø, represented by project coordinator Marina Tonkopeeva.
To read more about the conference click here.