The first Arctic Youth Conference wrapped up on 27th of January in Tromsø. It brought together 300 youth from the Arctic and was held under the Norwegian Chairship in the Arctic Council. The conference aimed to empower Arctic youth, enhance their participation, increase Arctic literacy, celebrate diversity, and served as a platform to realize Chairship priorities. Ms. Sara Elvira Kuhmunen, president of Sáminuorra, represented World Reindeer Herders (WRH) where she is also a vice-chair. Ms. Kuhmunen was a part of the Chairship Youth Committee responsible for organizing the Arctic Youth Conference. World Reindeer Herders is an observer to Arctic Council. 

NOMAD Indigenous FoodLab was brought to Tromsø to host several sessions and food events during the Arctic Youth Conference in Tromsø. Chefs prepared Arctic traditional food based on reindeer, seal, whale and fish. 

Secretary General of World Reindeer Herders and Director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, Anders Oskal, greeted young participants and guests of the conference at the opening. “NOMAD Indigenous FoodLab initiative was supported by Norway in the White Paper of the Arctic and its development has been supported by the Norwegian government. We have built this FoodLab to have an engagement of youth for development in the Arctic by using knowledge of our own communities” said Mr.Oskal while also presenting NOMAD Indigenous FoodLab at the opening.

Over the past three days, youth have hosted and engaged in sessions, workshops and panel discussions to voice their concerns and ideas, to share their stories and to learn from each other. From the development of the conference themes to organizing the rich program, the AYC was from beginning to end a conference made by youth for youth – a format that inspires for replication in future.

NOMAD Indigenous Foodlab

The NOMAD Indigenous FoodLab is a collaboration between World Reindeer Herders (WRH), International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) in Norway, and Danish partners Søren K. Kristiansen ApS, the late architect Klaus Schmidt-Hansen of KSH ApS, and Bakkely ApS. 

World Reindeer Herders (WRH) is the Civil-Society Organization for indigenous reindeer herders, as the nomadic indigenous peoples of the Arctic and Sub-Arctic region. There are 24 different indigenous reindeer herding peoples in the world today, spread over three continents and 10 national states across the circumpolar north, with close to 100 000 people including all. These peoples are living as nomads and semi-nomads in the cold north, following their reindeer through their annual migration patterns.

Source: Arctic Council, Arctic Youth Conference, NOMAD Indigenous Foodlab.