Thematic Network on Children of the Arctic

The overall goal of the Network is to assess and study successful practices of sustainable development concerning children in the Arctic, considering the adaptation of indigenous traditional knowledge to contemporary conditions.

To learn more visit Children of the Arctic network website.

Objectives are to:

• Study the social, economic and health conditions of children in the Arctic as well as challenges they are facing, including climate change, industrial development, and globalization.
• Study how communities are preserving native languages and transmitting them to the next generations in the Arctic, including local knowledge and skills.
• List best practices and success stories regarding the preservation of local knowledge among children of the Arctic and their adaptation to contemporary challenges.
• Establish a network of cooperation within the universities of the Arctic to create new standards for the sustainable development and well-being of the future generations of the Arctic.

Background and need:

• There is a need for more knowledge on best practices for promoting well-being in children
  in the Arctic, especially children of Indigenous peoples.
• Drop-out of education, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, relative poverty and neglect are still too often seen as challenges for children in the Arctic – and we need more knowledge on how to prevent these challenges through community-based, efficient, and culturally sensitive methods.
• That good methods for securing the Rights of the Child to all children in the Arctic are being developed – but that they still need to be implemented in all areas.
• That the conditions for indigenous children differ profoundly across the Arctic countries and areas – and that some of the children live under very difficult social and cultural conditions.
• There is a huge need for community-based participatory action research involving children and young people in the local communities in the Arctic.
• There is a need for more cooperation between researchers within this field across the Arctic.

• Promote research projects and education on children (and young people) of the Arctic, especially indigenous children.
• Organize research training (Ph.D. and Post Doc levels) in research on children and youth in the Arctic.
• Promote collaboration between universities conducting research on (and with) children and youth in the Arctic.
• Disseminate scientific knowledge on children and youth in the Arctic. This will be achieved through teaching at universities and through the publication of a book (in English) in 2021 on the research and furthermore, through articles in international peer-reviewed journals.
• Organizing annual conferences of researchers doing research on child and youth well-being in the Arctic.

Plan for the next two years:

• To engage more universities in the Arctic in the network.
• To continue and strengthen the impact of the network on national policies securing the Rights of the Child for all children in the Arctic.
• To collaborate in solution- and resource-focused research in cooperation with local and indigenous children, families, and local communities in the Arctic.
• To cooperate in planning and conducting community-based participatory action research on/with children and young people in the Arctic – as this is part of increasing well-being and participation in a democratic society.

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Presentation of the UArctic Thematic Network on Children of the Arctic

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Traditional Knowledge in the Contemporary World