The students, from the Sami College in Kautokeino, Norway, are coming to the Yukon to meet with First Nations people and to become familiar with social, political and economic issues in the North. While they are here, they will be preparing newspaper articles and radio and TV programs for local media outlets in northern Norway. Sami are the Indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula of Russia.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the students to learn from what we have achieved in broadcasting,” says Shirley Adamson, the CEO of NNBY and a member of the Board of Governors for UArctic. “By using our facilities, the students will have an opportunity to develop some stories for use back home in Norway and they can also be part of our broadcasting day at the station – both in radio and television.”
The students will be spending two days at NNBY and will be working for a week on extended journalism projects. The first group of 10 students will be in Whitehorse from March 2-15; the second group of 5 students will follow from March 19- April 4th.
“This student experience is an example of the links being developed in the circumpolar world by UArctic,” says Sally Webber, the president of Yukon College and chair of the Council of the UArctic. “The staff and students of Yukon College will benefit as much as the Sami students as they share their knowledge, experiences and insights with us.”
Yukon College staff will be providing introductory briefings on indigenous issues such as land claims and self-government in the Yukon and Canada. There will also be presentations on climate change in the North. Amanda Graham, the Yukon College coordinator/instructor with the Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies program of UArctic, is coordinating their time at the College.
A copy of the press release can be found here.
More Information:
Sami University College
Yukon College