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© ACS / Ingeborg Ytterstad Pettersen

The Arctic Youth Conference - A Q&A with ACS Project Coordinator Jens Toft

August 12, 2024
Norway
The Norwegian Chairship (2023-2025) is hosting the inaugural Arctic Youth Conference (AYC). Born out of the Chairship's commitment to youth empowerment, the organizers say the AYC is designed to break away from tokenism, ensuring the involvement of Arctic youth in shaping and executing the conference. In this brief AYC Q&A, Jens Toft, Project Coordinator at the Arctic Council Secretariat and one of the organizers of the Arctic Youth Conference, explains why an Arctic conference for youth is needed, who it is for and what upcoming milestones and deadlines to look out for.

Why an Arctic Youth Conference?

Youth in the Arctic play a crucial role in the region's present and future. They experience firsthand the environmental, social, and economic changes occurring in the Arctic. As the future leaders of this region, it is essential to include them in international cooperation and governance.

Norway has therefore made youth a key priority of their Chairship program, aiming to provide a platform for young people to discuss issues that matter to them – hence an Arctic Youth Conference, which is putting youth at the center: in setting the agenda, developing the program and deciding the outcomes. This way, the conference truly is an event for youth, by youth, filling a niche in the Arctic conference circuit.

While this is a Chairship initiative, it builds on increasing youth engagement across the Arctic Council. Norway views this conference as a pilot initiative, hoping it can serve as a model for future engagement.

Jens Toft
© ACS

Who is it for?

We aim to bring together a diverse group of young people, including representatives of the Arctic States, Permanent Participants, Working Groups and the Council’s Observers – but we are also inviting youth who are not previously affiliated with the Council.

Our primary target group is young people between 18 to 30 years old, with 18 being the minimum age and 30 being somewhat flexible. We also see the benefit of including more senior experts in the conference to enable intergenerational dialogue.

Additionally, we are engaging with organizations and initiatives that focus on Arctic youth cooperation. By building on their expertise, we aim to enhance the experience of conference participants.

What are milestones and deadlines coming up?

The first deadline is approaching Aug 15 for the submission of session proposals. If you're interested in engaging other youth in a conversation about a specific topic, be sure to mark this date in your calendar. We are both looking for sessions, workshop ideas, short courses, etc.

Following this, we plan to launch the program and open registration around mid-September. There are no registration fees; attendees only need to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. To assist with this, we will compile a list of mobility grants and funding opportunities that can help cover these costs.

The conference itself will take place on 24-26 January 2025 in Tromsø, Norway.

What are you most excited about?

I'm most excited to see what comes out of bringing such a large and diverse group of young and passionate people together and where the conversations will go. When we bring young people together, usually quite amazing networks are formed, and new dialogues are shaped.

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Arctic Youth Conference