Online workshop 1: Capacity Sharing for Biodiversity as Community and Regional Development

Description:
Community development is seen as both a process (developing the ability to act collectively); and an outcome where collective action leads to improvement in a community. Rural northern regions have rich, sensitive, and crucial biodiversity. Its conservation is interlinked with the capacity of the area’s scientists, policymakers, and communities to collaborate towards a common goal. But barriers in collaboration with communities, particularly when it comes to vulnerable and under-represented groups, lead to disempowerment and inefficient conservation practices. In this workshop we discussed the needs and opportunities for community and regional development focusing on capacity sharing for biodiversity. Our guest speakers shared their experiences with community and regional development so that others who are interested in acting locally may have a better understanding of how to do so. All participants who joined us online were invited to breakout rooms to discuss the three questions posed by the workshop. Results from these discussions will be summarized into a document to be published in late January.

Speakers

• Ragnhildur Guðmundsdóttir, doctor of biology and museum educator at the Icelandic Museum of Natural History, is the CAP-SHARE project leader. She is also part of the BIODICE network and focuses on promoting the importance of biodiversity conservation in Iceland and the Arctic. 
• Jessica Aquino is the communication manager for CAP-SHARE and an Associate Professor at Hólar University. She is the co-founder of the youth organization and CAP-SHARE associated partner Húnaklúbburinn where she is involved in community-based action and youth engagement.
• Kristín Vala Þrastardóttir is the Project Manager of HeimaHöfn at the Nýheimar Knowledge Center. Nýheimarconnects young people directly to resources and people in their communities to encourage connection to place and highlight opportunities near home for careers they are interested in. 
• Eva Björk Káradóttir is the Director of the Húsavík Whale Museum. One of the goals of the museum is to open local dialogue on conservation through environmental education, support and organization of local events, and community engagement.
• Pigga Keskitalo is a Professor of Education at the University of Lapland focusing on Arctic education perspectives, and adjunct Professor of education at the University of Helsinki. She leads several research projects at both institutions. Previously she has worked for 20 years in Norway in Sámi teacher education at Sámi University of Applied Sciences. Pigga’s goal is to strengthen the understanding of the different logics that affect education and training. Increasing the understanding between people, meeting others and reviving languages are topical themes that Pigga believes should receive more attention in our diverse world, like the meaning of land-based education and traditional knowledge in education. 
• Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä, Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lapland, is working in the Reconceptualizing Boundaries Together Towards Resilient and Just Arctic Future(s) (REBOUND) project, funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) under the Research Council of Finland. She is also a project manager in the CAP-SHARE Interreg NPA project. She has extensive and diverse experience in both classroom teaching, school leading and teacher education. She has been working as a sámi teacher educator in the Sámi Teacher Education Program, Sámi language teacher, and immersion preschool teacher. Her research area focuses are in the indigenous educational field, especially in Sámi education, language revitalization, language nest pedagogy, language immersion, green transition and sustainability in education.
• Hanna Helander is the Project Manager for the Pilot project on distance education in the Sámi languages of the municipality of Utsjoki, Finland. Previously, she worked as researcher at the University of Lapland in the ADVOST research project that was funded by the Academy of Finland.  She is finalizing her doctoral studies on Sámi storytelling and upbringing at the University of Oulu. Helander has a teacher education degree on the subject of Finnish language as mother tongue and literature. She is a Sámi PhD student living in Inari, Northern Finland.

Workshop Agenda 

• 10:00–10:05 Opening and presenters introductions - Ragnhildur and Jessica
• 10:05-10:15 Introduction topic: Introduction to biodiversity, Ragnhildur Guðmundsdóttir
• 10:15-10:25 Introduction topic: Introduction to Community and Regional development, Jessica Aquino 
• 10:25-10:40 Case study 1: Youth seen as assets for regional development, Kristín Vala Þrastardóttir 
• 10:40-10:55 Case study 2: Connecting Community and Conservation: The Húsavík Whale Museum’s Role in Biodiversity Awareness, Eva Björk Káradóttir
• 10:55-11:00 Break – Reminder of questions for the audience - Rauni
• 11:00-11:10 Introduction topic: Introduction to sustaining life in the Sámi perspective, Pigga Keskitalo
• 11:10-11:25 Case study 3: Justice and Sustainability in the Green Transition: A Sámi Education Perspective, Rauni Äärelä-Vihriälä
• 11:25-11:40 Case study 4: Long-distance Sámi language education and how it relates to community development and biodiversity, Hanna Helander
• 11:40-11:45 Break - Reminder of questions for the audience 
• 11:45-12:25 Breakout Room Discussions (breakout rooms: Jessica, Jenny, Ragnhildur/Cécile, and Rauni moderate) 
• 12:25-12:35 Closing Ragnhildur, Jessica, Rauni, and Jenny. Jessica asks people to take the online survey 
  

Discussion questions
These are based on the speakers and on needs and opportunities for community and regional development: 

1. What are the needs in the Arctic areas regarding using biodiversity conservation actions for community and regional development? What are the barriers? 
2. What opportunities do you see for capacity sharing in the arctic regions towards biodiversity conservation that would address these needs and barriers?
3. What actions need to be taken right now in order to move forward 
   1. What role should museums have in this? (example follow-up question)