ArcticNet in Tromsø
Tromsø—or Romsa in the North Sámi Indigenous language—is located at 69 degrees North, above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. In January 2025, this ‘Capital of the Arctic’ and future ‘European Youth Capital 2026’ welcomed hundreds of youths, Indigenous knowledge holders, researchers, and policymakers to attend the first ever Arctic Youth Conference and the annual Arctic Frontiers meeting. Melody Lynch, ArcticNet’s Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator, participated in both events on behalf of the organization.
Arctic Youth Conference
The Arctic Youth Conference (January 24-26, 2025) was organized under the Norwegian Chairship of the Arctic Council and was the first event of its kind. The inaugural meeting emerged as part of the Chairship’s commitment to youth empowerment and its goal to support the involvement of youth in addressing the challenges and opportunities of a changing Arctic. To oversee the planning and execution of this youth-driven conference, Norway established a Chairship Youth Committee, bringing together young representatives from six different Arctic States and various Arctic- and youth-focused organizations. Topics of discussion included youth leadership in decision-making, co-development and exchange of knowledge, gender inclusivity and equity, preparedness and resilience, mental wellbeing, and preservation of Indigenous culture and identity, among others. There were nearly 300 youths, policymakers, and researchers in attendance.
Melody moderated a plenary panel entitled Art as a Bridge: Exchanging Knowledge in the Arctic, which was co-organized by the Chairship Youth Committee, ArcticNet, and Arctic Hub. Panelist Myrah Graham (Northern Research Liaison Officer, Amundsen Science) presented on her involvement in the Arctic Science to Art Contest – an ongoing initiative from the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists Canada and ArcticNet that connects researchers and artists to communicate science in accessible ways. The second panelist, Sarah Cox (Director, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Circumpolar Resilience, Engagement and Action through Storytelling (CREATeS) Project Lead, Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council) spoke about the CREATeS Project that invites Indigenous Youth to create digital stories and short films to create dialogue about mental health and suicide prevention. The third panelist Ingeborg Høvik (Associate Professor, UiT The Arctic University of Norway) spoke about the Arctic Voices project, a collective of Indigenous and western scholars and artists who discuss largely unknown Arctic histories. Additionally, Ingeborg co-curated an arts-based for the Arctic Youth Conference entitled Stories from the Arctic Contact Zone with Ulrikke Marie Strandli (Master’s Student, UiT The Arctic University of Norway). The exhibition showed a small part of Arctic Voices’ work and is an edited version of the larger Visualizing Arctic Voices exhibition Ingeborg curated for the Riddu Riđđu Festivála and the Center of Northern Peoples in 2024. The final panelist, Geneviève Degré-Timnons (PhD Candidate, Université Laval) shared how she co-created science-inspired art about her research on boreal caribou responses to postfire habitat change in the Northwest Territories. An important part of this plenary was the lively 45-minute interactive discussion with the audience, focusing on how art can serve as a meaningful bridge to exchange knowledge in accessible, meaningful, and impactful ways.
Other engaging conference activities included #ShowYourStripes, a global temperature change bracelet-making activity, created by Dr. Jenny Baesman, that facilitated discussion and reflection on the climate crisis. Additionally, the Nomad Indigenous Food Lab —a project connecting Indigenous chefs, food activists, and culinary experts—set up their kitchen in a Lavvu (a temporary dwelling used by the Sàmi people) to exchange knowledge and raise awareness of Indigenous culture through food.
The conference was a resounding success. It facilitated intergenerational knowledge exchange in accessible and inclusive ways. There is widespread anticipation and hope for more Arctic Youth Conferences in the future. To learn more about the outcome of this unique event, watch the Arctic Youth Conference statement below.
Arctic Frontiers
Following the Arctic Youth Conference, Melody attended Arctic Frontiers from January 27th to 30th. Arctic Frontiers is an annual event hosted by the Arctic Frontiers administration based in Tromsø. Arctic Frontiers 2025: Beyond Borders was focused on cooperation and collaboration in the Arctic during geopolitically challenging times. Melody presented in the science session International Polar Year (IPY) V: Research, Data and Science Cooperation. Her presentation offered ideas on collaborative approaches to mobilizing diverse knowledges, highlighting examples from ArcticNet’s knowledge mobilization program.
She suggested that sharing and valuing diverse knowledges should be a key focus for the IPY, pointing to meaningful partnerships and collaborations as central to this endeavour. ArcticNet’s Inuit Qaujisarnirmut Pilirijjutit —the first and only Inuit-led, governed and directed research program in the world—is an example of this. Melody also spoke about further ArcticNet offerings that support knowledge mobilization in the North, including funding opportunities, webinars, contests, Annual Scientific Meetings, and more.
The back-to-back conferences allowed for an insightful week. We are grateful to the Sàmi people, who are the Indigenous stewards of the land where we gathered for these meetings. We also thank the organizers of both conferences who made the week in Tromsø incredibly enriching. We look forward to continuing these important conversations.