Children of the Arctic

About

The overall goal of this research network is to assess and study successful practices of sustainable development concerning children in the Arctic - considering the adaptation of indigenous traditional knowledge to contemporary conditions.

Objectives are to: 

• Study the social, economic and health conditions of children in the Arctic as well as challenges they are facing, including climate change, industrial development, and globalization.
• Study how communities are preserving native languages and transmitting them to the next generations in the Arctic, including local knowledge and skills.
• List best practices and success stories regarding the preservation of local knowledge among children of the Arctic and their adaptation to contemporary challenges.
• Establish a network of cooperation within the universities of the Arctic to create new standards for the sustainable development and well-being of the future generations of the Arctic.

Background and need:

• There is a need for more knowledge on best practices for promoting well-being in children in the Arctic, especially children of Indigenous peoples.
• Drop-out of education, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, relative poverty and neglect are still too often seen as challenges for children in the Arctic – and we need more knowledge on how to prevent these challenges through community-based, efficient, and culturally sensitive methods.
• That good methods for securing the Rights of the Child to all children in the Arctic are being developed – but that they still need to be implemented in all areas.
• That the conditions for indigenous children differ profoundly across the Arctic countries and areas – and that some of the children live under very difficult social and cultural conditions.
• There is a huge need for community-based participatory action research involving children and young people in the local communities in the Arctic.
• There is a need for more cooperation between researchers within this field across the Arctic.

Activities

• Promote research projects and education on children (and young people) of the Arctic, especially indigenous children.
• Organize research training (Ph.D. and Post Doc levels) in research on children and youth in the Arctic.
• Promote collaboration between universities conducting research on (and with) children and youth in the Arctic.
• Disseminate scientific knowledge on children and youth in the Arctic. This will be achieved through teaching at universities and through the publication of a book (in English) in 2021 on the research and furthermore, through articles in international peer-reviewed journals.
• Organizing annual conferences of researchers doing research on child and youth well-being in the Arctic.

Plan for the next two years

• To engage more universities in the Arctic in the network.
• To continue and strengthen the impact of the network on national policies securing the Rights of the Child for all children in the Arctic.
• To collaborate in solution- and resource-focused research in cooperation with local and indigenous children, families, and local communities in the Arctic.
• To cooperate in planning and conducting community-based participatory action research on/with children and young people in the Arctic - as this is part of increasing well-being and participation in a democratic society.