The ARCYF program, with funding from the Government of Canada, is dedicated to empowering young leaders from Arctic regions, enabling them to actively contribute to the dialogue surrounding complex social and environmental issues in the rapidly changing Arctic landscape. During the fellowship, participants had meaningful, in-depth discussions about Arctic community resilience in the face of new 21st-century challenges and shared a deep cross-boundary understanding of cultural differences and similarities across Arctic communities. 

Last weekend, members of the 2023 fellow cohort met for the last time in Yellowknife, Canada, to conclude their debut year and celebrate their journey as emerging leaders. Building from prior workshops, they engaged with local community residents and Tribal elders, shared stories, and explored issues critical to their communities. They participated in discussions on cultural and traditional practices, and current challenges facing local Dene communities. They also took part in crafts workshops, including traditional beading, games, and dancing. The workshop included presentations of personal community resiliency projects from the fellows and concluded with a graduation ceremony along with a performance from the Yellowknives Dene Drummers. 

Graduating fellows able to attend the Yellowknife Workshop included: 

Alaska  

  • Sierra Nalaġuzruaq Anderson is Inupiaq from Nome, and currently attending the University of Alaska Anchorage focusing on biology, mathematics, and Alaska Native studies. 
  • Anastasia Rankin is Aleut from Unalaska, Alaska, who works at the Ounalashka Corporation while pursuing an associate degree at Central Washington University. 

Canada  

  • Samreen Ahmad is a first-generation South Asian immigrant from Whitehorse, Yukon, currently studying environmental northern conservation sciences at Yukon University.  
  • Hannah Hoefer is from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and is an assistant negotiator on claim settlements and self-government agreements in the Northwest Territories. 
  • Tiana Lemon is Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nations from Dawson City, Yukon and serves on the board of directors for the Chief Isaac Group of Companies, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in’s for-profit economic development corporation. 
  • Amelie Aubrey-Smith is from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, and is currently attending school in southern Canada to pursue a degree in the sciences. 
  • Jody Tulurialik is Inuk from Taloyoak, Nunavut and practices traditional sewing, tanning sealskins, and practising the Inuktitut language. 

Greenland  

  • Juliane Aronsen is from Kangaatsiaq, Greenland and is currently living in Sisimiut, Greenland to attend school at Nord Atlantiske Gymnasieklasse. 
  • Miyuki Daorana is of Greenlandic and Japanese descent, born in Nuuk and currently living in London, England studying anthropology. 
  • Nivi Rosing is a Greenlandic Inuk from Nuuk, Greenland, and is currently attending Nunavut Sivuniksavut in Ottawa, Canada. 

"As we bid farewell to this extraordinary group, we say 'goodbye-but-stay-in-touch' and extend heartfelt congratulations to each graduate! Your passion and dedication are shaping the future of our Arctic communities." - Jon Isaacs, Chairman, Board of Directors of the Institute of the North  

Now looking to the development of this initiative’s second year, ARCYF continues to empower Arctic youth to advocate for sustainable solutions to complex issues and become leaders in building resilient Arctic communities. Through this transformative initiative, a future for Arctic communities is envisioned where: 

  • Youth voices are appreciated, respected, and welcomed as the citizens of the pan-Arctic region seek solutions to the challenges of a rapidly changing Arctic landscape.
  • Youth voices recognize the long-term implications of activities in the Arctic region for Indigenous communities, focusing on food security and sovereignty, self-governance, economic development and subsistence lifestyles, climate change, and other matters impacting traditional ways of life in the Far North. 

Youth voices are appreciated, respected, and welcomed as the citizens of the pan-Arctic region seek solutions to the challenges of a rapidly changing Arctic landscape. 

Directed by the Institute of the North and North Star Group, ARCYF received a significant investment from the Government of Canada, and invaluable support from partners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Greenland School of Petroleum and Minerals-KTI, Alaska Airlines, the Rasmuson Foundation, the George and Stephanie Suddock Foundation, the Denali Commission, the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. While 2023 marked ARCYF’s inaugural year, the initiative's concept stems from work conducted through the Arctic Council's Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group's Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Arctic Mining (MBAM) initiative.  

To learn more about the ARCYF program, its mission, and objectives, visit ARCYF.org. To inquire about partnership opportunities or request additional information, please contact the program through info@arcyf.org.