Multiple perspectives on polar science educational outreach partnerships in the north Yukon, Canada

Abstract

A unique element of International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008 was the focus on sharing the excitement of ‘doing science’ with northern communities through education and outreach projects. This article reports on the perspectives of key stakeholders in Canadian IPY research projects in their pursuit to incorporate education and outreach in culturally appropriate ways. To identify the benefits, challenges, and common pitfalls when conducting researcher-led science education and outreach activities in the north Yukon, 60 qualitative interviews were conducted with IPY researchers, northern residents, and integrative science educators. Findings suggest that for southern-based research networks working in northern Indigenous communities, educational outreach is most successful in the eyes of northern educators and residents when it is regionally and culturally specific, people-focused, and led by the community's vision and needs.

Notes

1. This is slightly different than the IPY Planning Group that differentiated education as school-based efforts (e.g. scientist guest speakers), outreach as informal education opportunities (e.g. museum exhibits), and communication as conducted via media (e.g. newsprint) (ICSU 2004).

2. For the purpose of this paper, we define ‘north’ as the area in Canada north of 60°N latitude, an administrative line separating the northern territories from the southern provinces.

3. Similar to Castellano (2004), in this paper we use Indigenous in reference to the original inhabitants of Canada, as defined in the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 and updated in the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples of 1996, to specify those belonging to an Aboriginal nation.

4. The percentage of Indigenous educators in northern schools is considerably lower than that of the student population (Council of Ministers of Education Canada 2002).To increase the number of northern-born and Indigenous educators, territorial colleges in all three regions are collaborating with universities in southern Canada to jointly offer teacher education programs.

5. These are the Gwich'in language place names.

6. PPS Arctic Canada stands for ‘Present processes, past changes, spatio-temporal variability in the Arctic delimitation zone, Canada.’

7. The Gwich'in term for this project ‘Environmental Change and Use of the Old Crow Flats’ translates into ‘looking after the land for the future’ and provides the acronym used for this IPY group, YNNK.

8. Housed and operated by the VGFN Heritage Department, the Old Crow oral history database is a collection of interviews conducted by the VGFN.

9. Integrative educational materials were used at the VGFN and school's 2010 spring culture camp. The materials were collaboratively developed by the Old Crow Culture Camp Committee, teachers at the school, and F. Ross, and are available through the VGG Department of Education (Ross 2012).