At the beginning of 2025, I had the opportunity to apply for an academic excursion just as I had started working as a project employee in the Cap-Share project at the University of Lapland. I was asked if I would be interested in participating in the selection process for an academic excursion that would take me from Greenland through the Canadian Arctic all the way to the southern coast of Alaska. The excursion, organised by the University of Tromsø, is called Arctic Future Pathfinders – A Journey Through the Northwest Passage. The studies conducted during the excursion focus on environmental changes in the Arctic and their socio-economic impacts from a multidisciplinary perspective. Participants develop both probable and preferable future scenarios for the Arctic region. The journey was planned to take place aboard a sailing ship, although at that time, the duration and full scope of the excursion were still unclear to me.

Thoughts of a sailing ship in the Arctic brought to mind old photographs from books featuring Ernest Shackleton sailing to Antarctica aboard the Endurance, and the voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first to navigate the Northwest Passage. Without much deliberation or concern for the unknown, I replied simply, “Yes, I’m interested.” I assumed the chances of being selected were relatively low, but the idea of experiencing Northern Canada and Alaska was incredibly appealing.

The first months in my new job during the winter of 2025 were filled with themes of Arctic futures, planning an international collaboration seminar for the project, and organising a session for the Arctic Spirit conference. As winter began to fade and spring inevitably approached, I received the news: I had been selected to participate in the Arctic Future Pathfinders study trip. The idea of traveling along the Northwest Passage felt surreal—I could already picture myself on the deck of the ship, wondering what I would encounter along the way. The journey would take place aboard the s/s Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a sailing ship that has crossed seas for over 100 years. I imagined what it would be like to sail aboard a steel-hulled, three-masted ship built in 1914, following in Roald Amundsen’s footsteps.

The Arctic Future Pathfinders route begins in Greenland before heading toward the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and continuing to the United States along the Alaskan coast. Participants were divided into two groups: Group 1 would sail the leg from Nuuk, Greenland to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. Group 2, which I would be a part of, would travel from Cambridge Bay, Canada to Anchorage, Alaska, USA. The route follows the Northwest Passage and transitions through the Bering Strait to trace the Alaskan coastline to the small town of Whittier. Anchorage, the final destination, lacks a deep-water port, so we would travel there by land from Whittier. Whittier is known for its large apartment building where nearly all of its residents live. The building also houses essential services such as a school, a store, and a post office. The only land route to Whittier passes through a tunnel under Maynard Mountain.

The mountains and nature of Northern Canada and Alaska have been a dream destination of mine since childhood. I felt incredibly fortunate that my academic excursion would take place in these landscapes. Preparing for the journey required each participant to complete a long list of individual tasks, including vaccination certificates, a certificate from a maritime doctor, and travel permits such as a visa. The U.S. visa application is submitted online, followed by a visa interview. The interview at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland was an interesting experience. Entry requirements for Canada, on the other hand, can be completed online in as little as 30 minutes.

One exciting detail revealed in the packing list was the ship’s accommodation: we would sleep in hammocks in a large hall with about 60 other participants. Although the hall is heated, it may be chilly at night. I had anticipated the voyage to be a traditional sailing experience with ship duties, watch shifts, and sail handling—but sleeping in a hammock was a pleasant bonus.

By summer, I had acquired the necessary items from the packing list, and my gear was ready. Group 1 had departed from Nuuk on 5 August 2025, and was already sailing toward Cambridge Bay. However, as August progressed, gray clouds gathered on the horizon of the study trip: the route of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl was changed.

We received a message from the ship stating that ice conditions made sailing through the Northwest Passage too dangerous, and the vessel would instead head toward Bermuda and the Panama Canal. Soon after, we received further updates from Tromsø: the excursion would still take place, but it would be conducted on land. We would travel from our home cities to Edmonton on 26 August, and from there fly to Cambridge Bay at the end of August. We would spend approximately a week in field conditions in Cambridge Bay and travel to Anchorage in early September. The planned return home is scheduled for mid-September.

As I write this blog post, there is only one day left until departure for Northern Canada. Despite the changes, the atmosphere is exciting and full of anticipation—I will experience many new things, and the journey will surely be unforgettable. This time, however, no wetsuit was needed. Reflecting on the connections between Arctic Future Pathfinders and the Cap-Share project, I can conclude with the following: Biodiversity is not only about the diversity of nature, but also about strengthening the bonds between people and places. When students, researchers, and communities from across the Arctic—from Northern Finland to Anchorage—share their experiences and learn from one another during this upcoming journey, new perspectives and hope emerge. Together, we can influence the future of the Arctic region.

Heikki Tiilikka, Junior Researcher, University of Lapland, CAP-SHARE

We are delighted to publish the keynote speech delivered at the Arctic Spirit Conference in May in Rovaniemi, as part of the CAP-SHARE project session Building Future Security Together: Transdisciplinary and Intergenerational Capacity Sharing for Community Development in the Arctic.
Keynote:
Perspectives of Sámi Youth on Cultural Survival, Identity Continuity, and Future Building in a Changing Arctic Reality
Niila-Juhán Valkeapää
The Sámi Youth Council, Sámi Parliament, Finland

Buorre iđit. Good morning.
 
My name is Niila-Juhán Valkeapää, and I live in Sápmi—Sámi land. I serve as the Vice Chair of the Youth Council of the Sámi Parliament in Finland. I speak today for my role and that of a generation growing up with ancestral knowledge and urgent new challenges.
 
As many of you know, the Sámi are the only Indigenous people within the European Union. We have our own languages, cultures and traditional livelihoods, all deeply rooted in our land. Nevertheless, today, in our homelands across the North—in Sápmi—our cultural identity, and even our security as a people, face new kinds of growing serious threats.
 
When we speak of security, we do not mean it in the conventional sense of borders or armies. Security means knowing that our culture will survive amidst modern challenges. Our languages will be spoken, and our ways of life will be possible. That our youth will have a future.
 
As Sámi youth, we often ask ourselves:
 
How can our culture survive in a rapidly changing world?
 
What will it mean to be Sámi in the future?
 
These questions are not just abstract concerns; they are genuine and immediate. They touch every part of our lives, from the lands we depend on to the languages we speak.
 
Our cultural continuity is being tested on multiple fronts.
 
One of the most urgent challenges we face is the fragile state of our languages. Some Sámi languages are now spoken fluently by only a few elders. Without substantial and sustained revitalisation, these languages risk disappearing and centuries of Indigenous knowledge, place-based wisdom, and cultural expression with them. Language is not just about grammar; it shapes how we understand and relate to the world around us and is thus a significant part of our people’s identity that would be lost.
 
At the same time, climate change is transforming the Arctic, our home, at a pace that few others experience. In Sápmi, our winters have changed drastically. Crusts form too early, and thaws come mid-winter, making it harder for reindeer to dig for food beneath the surface. What used to be reliable patterns of snow and cold are now unpredictable. These shifts affect livelihoods and disrupt traditional knowledge passed down through generations. For our elders, this is a heartbreaking loss. This unstable Arctic is a new reality that we must adjust to.
 
We are also facing a new kind of threat: one that comes wrapped in the language of sustainability. The green transition, while necessary, often overlooks Indigenous rights. Wind power projects and other infrastructure are being developed on Sámi lands without free, prior and informed consent. When turbines or roads cut reindeer pastures, our livelihoods are compromised, and so is our right to determine our future. Sustainability must never come at the expense of justice.
 
On top of these structural challenges, everyday barriers persist. Complex bureaucratic systems make it harder to maintain traditional ways of life. Discrimination—both subtle and overt—continues to affect Sámi people in schools, healthcare and public life, undermining our safety, confidence and visibility within society.
 
As we imagine the future of the Arctic, we must also redefine what security means.
 
For me, security is knowing that our languages will live not just as subjects in a classroom but as languages spoken at home, online and at the governmental level.
 
Security is knowing that our reindeer can migrate across landscapes that are still intact.
 
Security also means knowing that Sámi identities, with all their diversity and strength, can thrive in a world that respects differences and does not try to erase them.
 
This is what we mean when we speak of cultural survival.
 
Let me be clear: cultural survival is not about clinging to the past. It is about carrying our knowledge forward and adapting it to new realities without losing its heart.
 
To survive culturally, we need healthy land. Without it, traditional knowledge cannot live. When the land is harmed by extraction, fragmentation or climate change, it is not only the environment that suffers; our culture suffers, too.
 
However, we cannot carry this work alone. Governments and institutions must move beyond symbolic recognition. Indigenous rights must be respected in practice. Education must reflect our realities. Furthermore, policies must be created with us, not about us.
 
We are not a minority asking for charity. We are Indigenous peoples demanding our rights.
 
The Arctic is not empty. It is not a frontier. It is our home and has been for millennia.
 
Sámi youth are ready to carry forward the responsibility of caring for the land, our culture, and the future. Nevertheless, we need space. We need support. Above all, we need sovereignty—the right to make decisions about our lives on our terms.
 
Despite everything we face, Sámi culture is not disappearing. It is adapting. It is resisting. It is evolving while led by a generation that carries both the scars of colonisation and the vision of a sustainable, sovereign future.
 
Giitu. Thank you.

I am Emma Karjalainen, and in this blog, I would like to share my experience as a university trainee in the CAP-SHARE project in which I worked for three months at the beginning of 2025. I study in the Master’s Degree Programme in Sustainability Education at the University of Lapland. The focus of my studies is on critical reflection on biodiversity loss and climate change, for example from the perspectives of systems and futures thinking. In addition, my studies address the significance of ethical means in the sustainability transition.

Photo: Emma Karjalainen

​My internship supervisors were professor Pigga Keskitalo and postdoctoral researcher Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä. In addition, project expert Teppo Kuusela from the LUMA Centre Finland, and junior researcher Heikki Tiilikka work in the University of Lapland’s CAP-SHARE team. My internship provided me with the opportunity to familiarize myself with a range of diverse tasks, including assistant duties, communication, workshop design and documentation, and travel arrangements. I was also delighted about the opportunity to participate in the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, where I represented the CAP-SHARE project at a poster session.

Photos: Jessica Aquino

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The internship helped me to develop my ability to work independently, which required time management, organisation and planning skills in particular. Working in an international project team required good communication and cooperation skills both at remote and in-person meetings. Moreover, cultural sensitivity played a key role in the CAP-SHARE project. When designing workshops, I was able to utilize my understanding of learning processes, theories and models I have acquired during my studies in sustainability education. The background knowledge gained through my studies also supported me in planning and instructing workshops.

Photos: Emma Karjalainen & Heta Makkonen

Overall, my university internship in the CAP-SHARE project offered me the opportunity to gain diverse experience of working in an academic project in an international context. The internship enhanced my competence in sustainability education and strengthened my work-life skills in versatile ways. After completing my internship, I got the opportunity to work as professor Pigga Keskitalo’s research assistant for the rest of the spring, funded by compensation funding received by the Faculty of Education through Keskitalo’s membership in the Strategic Research Council (SRC). Towards the end of the summer, I will continue to work at the LUMA Centre of the University of Lapland, where I will take up the role of a coordinator. My internship in the CAP-SHARE project is an excellent example of developing and enhancing participation of young people and supporting them with their professional development and future careers.


Best regards,
Emma Karjalainen
[email protected]

The CAP-SHARE team will be meeting in Rovaniemi and Sodankylä, Finland, from the 5th to the 9th of May. This week of conference, events and workshops is hosted by the Finnish CAP-SHARE team led by Professor Pigga Keskitalo, the CAP-SHARE project leader at the University of Lapland, Faculty of Education, and PhD Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä, the CAP-SHARE project manager at the University of Lapland, Faculty of Education.

The first part of the week will be in Rovaniemi for the Arctic Spirit conference, starting with a CAP-SHARE session around the theme of “Building Future Security Together: Transdisciplinary and Intergenerational Capacity Sharing for Community Development in the Arctic”. This session will be a place to open dialogue and engage youth, policymakers, and researchers to explore how transdisciplinary and intergenerational collaboration can address critical challenges in Arctic communities. With a special focus on youth voices, the session provides a platform for intergenerational dialogue and actionable solutions to secure the future of Arctic regions.
The session will consist of two keynote presentations followed by a youth-led panel discussion.

Keynotes:

• Niila-Juhán Valkeapää, The Sámi Youth Council, Sámi Parliament, Finland: Perspectives of Sámi youth on cultural survival, identity continuity, and future building in a changing Arctic reality
• Pauli Taulavuori and Aaron Yliniemi, Muonio high school/general upper secondary school: The Boys of Frost from Lapland

Panellists:

• Aaron Yliniemi, Muonio high school/general upper secondary school, Finland
• Freyja Friðriksdóttir, Youth representative, Húnaklúbburrinn youth organization, Iceland
• Jenny Turton, Arctic Frontiers, Norway
• Lauri Kultima, Sodankylä High school/ general upper secondary school, Finland
• Niila-Juhán Valkeapää, The Sámi Youth Council, Sámi Parliament, Finland
• Pauli Taulavuori, Muonio high school/general upper secondary school, Finland
• Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä, University of Lapland, Finland
• Viljajohanna Salonen, Sodankylä High school/ general upper secondary school, Finland

For more information about the Arctic Spirit session, contact the session conveners:
Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä, [email protected]
Cécile Chauvat, [email protected]

After the conference, the team will travel north to Sodankylä municipality, one of CAP-SHARE’s associated partners. There, a workshop will be held in collaboration with Tähtikunnan School, where the team will organize activities with the students around the themes of arctic biodiversity and mapping for local climate scenarios. This is the first step in the project’s second phase: now that the online international workshops are concluded, CAP-SHARE is moving to face-to-face pilot activities in a more local setting, bringing all the work done so far to life. Finally, on the last day, CAP-SHARE will visit Tähtelä Observatorium in Sodankylä. The visit will tie to the theme of the importance of mapping for biodiversity and capacity sharing. Learn more about the Tähtelä Observatorium here.

This March, the CAP-SHARE project team participated in the ICARP IV summit in Boulder, Colorado. The week was filled with fascinating and highly relevant presentations and discussions on Arctic research. We participated and impacted in the discussion related to youth, a sustainable Arctic future, and education.
Jessica Aquino and Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä served as session conveners on Wednesday, March 26. The session, titled Capacity Sharing in Arctic Regions Through Transdisciplinary Intergenerational Collaborative Research and Inclusive Education, featured an impressive 14 oral presentations. In addition to Rauni, Cécile Chauvat also presented in the session, discussing Biodiversity as a Framework for Capacity Sharing.

Greetings from the Arctic Frontiers 2025: Beyond borders conference, where experts from various fields and communities gathered to discuss solutions to climate change and sustainable development across borders. Part of the CAP-SHARE project team met in Tromsø at the Arctic Frontiers conference. We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Jessica Aquino from the Hólar University, Iceland, and Dr. Jenny Turton from Arctic Frontiers, Norway. The themes raised during the conference inspired us for the upcoming Arctic Frontiers 2027, where CAP-SHARE will organize international workshops and a panel.

CAP-SHARE's activities sparked broad interest. The interdisciplinary poster session, in particular, was an excellent opportunity to present the project's current and future work to representatives from various scientific fields. One of the key observations was how the same global challenges—such as the green transition and climate change—are relevant across all disciplines, uniting them in a common goal: building a more sustainable future.
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The future of sustainable energy and the green transition is incurring costs that directly and indirectly impact the lives of various communities. Currently, one of the biggest challenges in Europe is the future of energy production, which still relies on approximately 80% fossil fuels. Transitioning to green energy production is not without its challenges, and addressing these issues requires extensive research and stakeholder collaboration. There was also significant discussion about emissions from the maritime industry and the social, economic, and environmental impacts of future shipping routes.

At the core of it all is climate change, which requires adaptation measures. Different stakeholders and regions have capacities that are being brought together in the hope of more effective collaboration. During Arctic Frontiers 2025, the importance of involving young people in decision-making and various processes was highlighted, but the question of responsibility remains open. Climate change is affecting living conditions, and future development paths are pushing young people further from their traditional living areas, particularly from rural to urban environments. Regional development should be considered through future-oriented thinking, focusing on which aspects of climate change adaptation efforts should be prioritized.

It was wonderful to share thoughts with Jessica and Jenny on how the CAP-SHARE project can work on these development areas. I strongly believe that by actively involving young people in the project’s activities, both online and locally, new development directions can be created for a more sustainable and just future.

Best regards,
Emma Karjalainen
[email protected]

Greetings from Tromsø,

My name is Emma Karjalainen, and I am doing an internship in the CAP-SHARE project. I am studying for a Master's degree in Sustainability Education at the University of Lapland, and I also have a background in forestry engineering. I had the opportunity to attend the Arctic Youth Conference, which took place from January 24-26, organized by Norway’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The purpose of the conference was to create networking and meeting spaces for young people to build a sustainable future. The theme of the conference was youth leadership in the Arctic region, the preservation of Indigenous knowledge, sharing of knowledge by young researchers, preparedness, resilience and mental health. Panel discussions, workshops and networking aimed to support the multidimensional inclusion of young people in decision-making processes.

​​The weekend was inspiring, full of new experiences and interesting encounters. For example, a topical local story from Yellowknife, Canada, stirred many emotions. Locals are evacuated every year due to large wildfires, and there are significant changes in weather conditions that also affect water levels in various ways. Additionally, certain species have disappeared. These changes have already had a direct impact on the mental health of young people, as reflected, for example, in an increase in crime. Various organizations and institutions have been working to
strengthen young people's relationship with nature and to develop safety skills. One of these organizations is Arctic Youth Leadership, which implements land-based learning methods through camps in Canada. Being in nature has been shown to have positive effects on young people's health and well-being, which should be promoted worldwide.
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​The need to strengthen resilience and prepare young people for challenges in the Arctic region was raised in many different contexts. Indigenous peoples in the Arctic are particularly vulnerable to changes in living conditions and face significant challenges in areas such as hunting and fishing. Centuries-old traditions and accumulated knowledge are at risk of being lost due to changing living conditions, and global economic development does not ensure the livelihoods of these peoples and communities. Therefore, food security should be guaranteed for the peoples of the Arctic regions, regardless of community size, and more active involvement of Indigenous youth in these regions is necessary. Young people need guidance and mentoring, training and space for influence both locally and globally. Indigenous youth already have language skills and cultural knowledge, which can be used to preserve and share their unique knowledge with future generations.

​In general, young people need more mentoring, internships and opportunities for dialogue with various stakeholders. The Arctic region needs intergenerational, cross-cultural and cross-stakeholder interactions to ensure that the perspectives of all communities are considered in decision-making. The Arctic Youth Conference was an excellent example of what young people can achieve together for the good of the future.


Best regards,
Emma Karjalainen
[email protected]

As the NORA grant is ending and we are wrapping up the current phase of the Youth for Arctic Nature project, we have decided to take the YAN app down. Many lessons have been learned during its development and deployment, and we are positive about the potential to revisit the app in the future to further support citizen science projects.

Thank you very much to all of the testers, users, and collaborators that have provided help and feedback in the last three years!

The YAN team visited our partners in the Faroe Islands, FNU - Føroya Náttúru- og Umhvørvisfelag for Náttúruráðstevnan 2023, their conference on nature and education that was held on the 3rd of October in Tórshavn. We are so grateful to have had this opportunity to share our work and connect with scientists and educators in the Faroes, and hope this leads to more collaboration.