Arctic PASSION

Sharing Circle

Sharing Circle for Early Career Professionals and Arctic Youth

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Arctic PASSION project organize an APECS & Arctic PASSION Sharing Circle for early career professionals and Arctic youth!

The Sharing Circle will take place in Sevettijärvi and Inari, Northern Finland, from October 2-6, 2023.

Having grown up in a world of global challenges, Arctic youth and early career professionals have agency in creating positive change for the future. The Arctic will benefit from a close dialogue between Arctic youth and young professionals working in the Arctic arena. The APECS & Arctic PASSION Sharing Circle will foster this dialogue through a week-long program in Northern Finland.

At a glance

Participants of the Sharing Circle will gain valuable insights into different cultures and the heritage of the Arctic. They will discuss how intercultural and transdisciplinary cooperation can function better, and what types of environmental data and maps are needed for a better understanding of Arctic environmental change. Participants will discuss how the Arctic environment and societies are intertwined, and have the opportunity to present challenges of their own local Arctic communities. With the Sharing Circle we provide a platform for exchange between Indigenous and local rights holders, Arctic youth, Arctic research experts and early career professionals working with Arctic topics, leading to a better understanding across the region. The connections that will be made among participants, who have diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, will form the basis for equitable and genuine collaborations in the future. Of special interest will be field visits to Indigenous-led ecological restoration sites, such as rivers and lake restoration.

After the Sharing Circle, participants will serve as Arctic PASSION Ambassadors for one year and will develop ideas for their own outreach project during the workshop to pass on their learnings to their communities, institutes or other chosen audiences.

By attending the Sharing Circle, participants will:

Arctic youth and early career professionals between the age of 20-35 are participating in the Sharing Circle. Participants are:

Dates: 2-6 October 2023. The program will start Monday morning, 2 October 2023, and will end Friday, 6 October 2023.

Start: Sevettijärvi, Northern Finland

End: Inari, Northern Finland

Language: English

Program: Program will be filled with group discussions, presentations, outdoor activities and excursions and accompanied by mandatory online events.

Goal: Participants will gain a better understanding of the Arctic and its people, the intercultural and transdisciplinary complexity of the Arctic, and the value of sharing experiences and knowledge in collaborations. Learnings and experiences from the Sharing Circle will help participants to build a frame for working towards equitable and genuine collaborations and a sustainable Arctic future.

gain new perspectives on Arctic issues and Arctic collaborations.

be empowered to establish meaningful collaborations across sectors and cultures.

have a better understanding about life in the Arctic and the intercultural and transdisciplinary complexity of the Arctic.

contribute to the development of services for the Arctic, making them more user-friendly and application-driven.

learn about the approach of “capacity sharing” and its valuable contribution to research processes as well as best practices in engaging with Arctic rights holders and stakeholders.

learn how to create safe spaces for collaboration and exchange, leading to more equitable research outcomes and better science. This two-way, multi-directional exchange is developed on the basis of reciprocity, communication and collaboration.

gain a new network.

develop their future paths by incorporating their learnings and experiences.

Youth from and living in the Arctic (Indigenous and non-Indigenous)

Bachelor and Master students working with Arctic topics

PhD candidates and Postdocs working with Arctic topics

Early career professionals working with Arctic topics in the public or private sector

Sharing Circle Participants

From 89 applicants, a rigorous review process involving 31 reviewers from various Arctic-foused EU projects have selected 17 Arctic youth and early career professionals.

Find out more about who the Arctic PASSION Sharing Circle participants are and find out about their projects.

Sharing Circle speakers

Community members from Sevettijärvi
Harmony Jade Sugaq Wayner (Indigenous Liason, International Arctic Research Center, RNA CoObs project)
Tero Mustonen and his team (Snowchange Coorperative, Arctic PASSION)
Michael Karcher (Alfred Wegener Institute, Arctic PASSION)
Tahnee Prior (Women of the Arctic, Arctic PASSION)
Olivia Rempel (GRID-Arendal, Arctic PASSION)

Sharing Circle organizers

Lisa Grosfeld (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, Alfred Wegener Institute)
Nadine Hillenbrand (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, Alfred Wegener Institute)
Sarah Strand (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, UiT The Arctic University of Norway)

Why Northern Finland?

In the Arctic PASSION project we are honored to work with 6 Arctic communities. One of them, the community of Sevettijärvi, is located in Northern Finland and will be the venue for the Sharing Circle. We are happy for this unique opportunity to stay with the Skolt Sámi community and to host the event there. This location on the home lands of this community allows the participants to listen and to have meaningful conversations with members of the Arctic Indigenous community. Learning about Sámi livelihoods and culture will enable participants to understand conservation and restoration efforts of unique ecological habitats. The culturally important location will introduce participants to different ecosystems and cultural heritage in an Arctic environment.

What does the program look like?

The program will be filled with group discussions, presentations, outdoor activities and excursions. Presentations will be given by community members, experts and participants. Participants will gain a better understanding about Arctic life and about the intercultural and transdisciplinary complexity of the Arctic. The Sharing Circle enhances the exchange of young people from Arctic and non-Arctic regions, promoting better collaboration with and among Arctic communities. The program contents will be co-developed by early career professionals, Arctic youth and Arctic PASSION partners, as well as by the Sevettijärvi community. Participation in the Sharing Circle includes two mandatory online events, one introduction call and one online workshop. The dates of these online events are forthcoming.

What is the ambassador project about?

After the Sharing Circle, participants will stay connected with the Arctic PASSION project as Arctic PASSION Ambassadors for one year (until September 2024). They will share their newly gained knowledge and lessons learned with a wider audience of their choice through outreach products or projects. The project will be chosen and developed by each participant. Arctic PASSION Ambassadors act as multipliers and increase the reach of the Sharing Circle. The ambassador projects can have a variety of formats, such as a blog, a presentation, activities with schools, engagements with other early career scientists. A similar ambassador project scheme was included in the MOSAiC School in 2019, see example projects here. There will be time for participants/ambassadors to develop ideas for their own projects during the Sharing Circle.

If you have any questions, please contact us via: arcticpassion@apecs.is.

This event has received funding from the Arctic PASSION project, which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101003472, from the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and from the Norwegian Research Council.

Minetta Westerlund - Tromsø, Norway