26 March 2025 | 08:30 - 10:00 (MDT)
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: UMC Third Floor - 384
Organisers: Mhairi C. Beaton (Carnegie School of Education, Leeds Beckett University); Diane Hirshberg (University of Alaska Anchorage)
Session Description:
Education provision in the broadest sense is fundamental for preparing present and future generations living in the Arctic. However, for too long, institutional education systems at all levels, from early years to tertiary education, have been marked by colonialist pedagogies. Looking to the future, it is key that Arctic education institutions allow students, whether Indigenous, settlers, or recent arrivals, to grow up grounded in their own cultures and languages, while also preparing them for participation in the wider world.
This panel discussion will explore the tension between local and global in education policy and practice across the Arctic whilst acknowledging ongoing issues of identity, diversity, and inclusion in education systems across the Arctic. Much has changed in the Arctic in recent years; growing access to technology permits young people to engage with the wider world but also increases the need for education to be grounded in place, local culture, languages, and the shared history held by their communities.
Bringing together key actors and rights holders within education provision across the Arctic, the panel will include Indigenous youth representatives, policymakers including representatives from the Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council, and academics from three UArctic Thematic Networks focused on some element of education provision. The resultant diversity of experiences and perspectives will allow the panel to explore and offer novel proposals for more sustainable and inclusive educational practices across the north.