This March, Linnea Goh, a grade 10 Ecole Windsor Secondary School French Immersion student, will join with 25 youth leaders from Southern Canada as they travel to Iqaluit, NU to represent their communities at the Arctic Youth Ambassador Caucus organized by Global Vision. This mission takes place just three weeks after Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and a number of Federal Ministers travelled to Nunavut to sign a declaration promising Inuit-to-Crown partnership. The youth leaders involved in the Caucus will have the unique opportunity to build on the solutions discussed by Trudeau and Inuit Leaders earlier this month, as well as collaborate with their Northern peers to find innovative solutions to Northern Canada's most pressing challenges including food security, health care, the environment, and education.
A key part of Linnea's experience is identifying areas for collaboration between organizations, educational institutions, and businesses in her home community of North Vancouver and Northern communities. At the end of the Caucus, Linnea, will return to her community to share her experience, newfound knowledge and ideas to further strengthen North-South dialogue.
"This is an incredible opportunity to experience the Arctic first hand and learn from Northern youth", said Linnea, a 15 year old passionate about sustainability and the environment. "I have been overwhelmed with the support from the community helping me fundraise and donating items for me to take up to the Nunavut food bank. When reading about food security, I was shocked to discover that cost of food in the Arctic is double the Canadian average."
Linnea and the other youth leaders were selected from hundreds of eligible participants who were a part of Global Vision's national recruitment and outreach campaign. She is the sole delegate from British Columbia. The Caucus will take place March 8th – March 12th, 2017; during the 150th Anniversary of Canada's Confederation. To attend, each Ambassador is responsible for raising $2750, which represents 40% of participation costs, by creating partnerships and engaging with corporate and community members.
Global Vision is a national not-for-profit charitable organization, founded in 1991 by former Member of Parliament, Terry Clifford C.M. Global Vision has been working in the North since 2010 to facilitate North-South dialogue and to help strengthen Northern youth's capacity to become actively engaged as leaders in their own communities.
For more information on Global Vision and the AYAC150 Team, please visit www.globalvision.ca or search for 'Arctic Youth Ambassador Caucus 150" on Facebook.
