Submitted by Matthew Linehan –
One hundred and twenty young leaders from around the world have been selected to participate in an Arctic Expedition with the Students on Ice foundation this summer. I am proud to say that I am among them.
On August 8, I will leave my Kitchissippi home bound for Resolute Bay, Nunavut, where I will join a team of polar experts, scientists and educators on a journey through the Canadian High Arctic that will end in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
My journey is being made possible in part by the generous support from my local community with contributions so far from neighbourhood businesses including the Merry Dairy and Purebread Bakery.
In addition, Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) on Richmond Road has kindly offered me the use of its premises on Saturday, June 10. I will be hosting a fundraising bake sale starting at 9 a.m. I invite you to attend to support my role in this expedition.
I am a passionate environmentalist and I am currently working towards a specialist certification in environmental studies at Nepean High School. I recently had the chance to represent my school at the 2016 Canada Youth Climate Action conference in Ottawa where I met Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna. It was there that I first heard about Students on Ice, a registered charity whose mandate is educating the world’s youth about the importance of the Polar Regions. The foundation seeks to inspire youth to drive initiatives that contribute to global sustainability.
The Students on Ice foundation helps students like me experience first-hand the impact of climate change on the polar regions and on Arctic biodiversity. I hope to use this experience to develop targeted initiatives to address climate change and to reduce its negative impacts on a global scale.
By supporting me, and by extension this program to educate young people about the perils facing the Arctic, you are reaffirming your faith in a future generation that will work to mitigate the threats facing our planet.
For more information about Students on Ice or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please go to canadahelps.org/en/pages/students-on-ice-arctic-expedition.
Matthew Linehan is a Grade 11 student at Nepean High School.