Empowering Arctic Youth to Envision and Plan for 2050

What does “thriving” look like for Arctic youth in their daily lives today? In 2050?

As part of the Arctic Initiative's commitment to training the next generation of solutions-oriented Arctic leaders, Initiative Director Jennifer Spence and Research Fellow Sappho Gilbert helped facilitate an Arctic Youth Futures Workshop in October. Held in Reykjavík, Iceland, the workshop was co-organized with the Arctic Mayors' Forum, the Fulbright Arctic Initiative, and the HeART Lab at Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

The participatory exercise brought together fourteen Arctic youth to imagine possible futures and generate practical strategies for achieving change. The goal was not to accurately predict what Arctic youth wellbeing and empowerment will look like in 2050, but to empower the youth of today to articulate a shared vision and develop pathways to make that future possible.

At the end of the two-day workshop, participants prepared a "Letter from the Future" imagining life in the Arctic in 2050, characterized by:

• Significant youth representation in politics and decision-making
• Thriving Arctic Indigenous knowledges and local knowledge
• Infrastructure that supports Arctic youth and their communities
• Environmental and climate resilience guided by traditional knowledge
• Culturally relevant youth mental health supports
• Meaningful, safe integration of technology
   

“What we ultimately wish for with these recommendations is that Arctic youth have sovereignty in the future of 2050,” said workshop participant Naja Theresia Høegh while presenting the workshop findings during the 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly.

Workshop participant Lemet Mihkkal Hætta emphasized that Arctic youth have knowledge that can improve the Arctic. "When you put the trust in the youth, we can make something quality out of this,” he said.

Watch the Workshop Video

The panel at the Assembly brought youth participants together with experienced policymakers including Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs for Canada; Virginia Mearns, Senior Arctic Official and Arctic Ambassador for Canada; Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Member of Danish Parliament representing Greenland; and Birgitta Larsson, Mayor of Gällivare, Sweden. 

The elder panelists stressed the centrality of youth to community-led resilience. The presence of youth in Arctic communities is a key indicator of local economic empowerment and cultural dignity, according to Larrson. Chemnitz Larsen advised youth to “keep insisting on having a seat at the table, and when you do have a seat, lean in, be prepared, and do as much as you can to influence decisions.” However, she also acknowledged that policymakers have a responsibility to “listen better.”

The workshop was made possible with funding from the Government of Canada, through the Global Arctic Leadership Initiative, and from the North Atlantic Regional Cooperation.

Read: "Letter for the Future of Arctic Youth Well-being and Empowerment"