The end of January was an eventful yet rewarding time for the APECS International Directorate, with two back-to-back conferences: the Arctic Youth Conference (AYC) from 24-26 January, followed by Arctic Frontiers from 27-30 January.
APECS assisted behind the scenes at the Arctic Youth Conference, which was organized by the Arctic Council Secretariat under Norway’s Chairship of the Arctic Council. The Norwegian Chairship's Youth Committee played a crucial role in designing the AYC. Geneviève Degré-Timmons, APECS Canada member and previous Chair of APECS Canada, was appointed by APECS to the Chairship Youth Committee.
As part of the Youth Together for Arctic Futures project — a consortium in which APECS is a partner — APECS helped organize two sessions at the AYC: Inclusive Arctic Science: Navigating Ethics, Power, and Collaboration and What Youth Bring to the Table in Policymaking. Youth Together for Arctic Futures is a four-year, EU-funded project led by the WWF Global Arctic Programme. The AYC provided an excellent opportunity for the Youth Together for Arctic Futures consortium to convene. The consortium also met with Vicki Lee Wallgren, Director of the WWF Global Arctic Programme, and Vanessa Dick, Senior Governance Lead for the WWF Global Arctic Program.
APECS displayed the Women in Polar Science (WiPS) exhibition, People Doing Cool Stuff, at the AYC. The exhibition was previously featured at an APECS-run Arctic Frontiers side event last year. The AYC concluded with a networking and social event titled Let the Connections Flow!, hosted by the YoungArctic project, in which APECS is an associate partner.
Above: a plenary session of the Arctic Youth Conference (left) and conference attendees chatting in front of the Women in Polar Science exhibition, People Doing Cool Stuff (right).
Following the AYC weekend, the focus shifted to Arctic Frontiers, where APECS was involved in a range of activities. APECS Executive Director Sarah Strand delivered a presentation titled Towards IPY 2032-2033: ECR Insights on Research Cooperation during the session International Polar Year (IPY) V: Research, Data and Science Cooperation Part 3. She also participated in a panel discussion at the end of the session. Additionally, Sarah and APECS Vice-President Conor Savage served as mentors for the Arctic Frontiers Student Forum.
APECS hosted an Arctic Frontiers side event as part of the Arctic Frontiers Student Forum program, titled Arctic Dimensions – Exploring the Landscape of Arctic Governance and Research Coordination. The event included a presentation, a quiz, and a panel composed of Jens Toft (Project Coordinator, Arctic Council Secretariat), Naima El bani Altuna (Deputy Secretary, North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission), and Robbie Mallet (Postdoctoral researcher, UiT The Arctic University of Norway). The APECS International Directorate extends sincere thanks to the engaged attendees and especially the insightful panelists.
APECS Executive Director Sarah Strand took part in a closed roundtable discussion hosted by the Norwegian Polar Institute, where directors of national polar research institutions and funding agencies convened to discuss Planning and Funding the Next International Polar Year. This meeting underscored the importance of long-term strategic planning and financial support for future polar research initiatives.
APECS Vice-Presidents Sebastian Kopf and Conor Savage actively contributed to the conference, with Conor speaking in the session Where Are All Those Arctic Jobs Everyone is Talking About?, organized by the Emerging Leaders Alumni Network. Sebastian helped organize the session Bridging Policy, Science, and Innovations: Lessons Learned from EU Mission Ocean Projects and Ways Forward.
APECS Directorate Officers Axel Schlindwein, Eva Chamorro Garrido, Laila Pellennec, and Martí Amargant-Arumí worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth execution of all APECS activities. Lisa Grosfeld, Project Officer for both the APECS International Directorate and the German Arctic Office, assisted with APECS activities and contributed to Arctic Frontiers meetings and sessions in her role with the German Arctic Office.
Together, these two conferences provided an invaluable platform for Arctic youth engagement and international polar collaboration while also serving as an opportunity for APECS to strengthen existing collaborations and form new partnerships.
Above left: Sarah Strand (APECS Executive Director), Conor Savage (APECS Vice-President), Sebastian Kopf (APECS Vice-President), Axel Schlindwein (APECS Directorate Officer), and Lisa Grosfeld (APECS Project Officer). Above right: Panelists Robbie Mallet, Jens Toft and Naima El bani Altuna during the APECS Arctic Frontiers side event Arctic Dimensions.
