131 students from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Iceland, the USA and Russia went on a n2n exchange and studied at a host UArctic member institution in 2006. This is 30 more than in 2005 and a significant 22% increase.
For Mona Johnson, Chair of the International Cooperation Office in n2n and international coordinator, the numbers for 2006 are very satisfactory. "The increase shows that the program is well known among students and that there is a need for programs such as n2n," she explains.
The north2north student exchange program provides opportunities for students to experience different northern regions firsthand, and to share experiences face-to-face by allowing students to study at other UArctic institutions. The program operates in close collaboration with the faculty exchange program to build mutual cooperation that can sustain and support student exchange.
The country with the most students taking part in n2n exchanges in 2006 was Russia, with 55, visiting predominantly Norway and Finland. Canada was the country which received the most students (34), most of them Norwegian and Finnish.
Out of the 131 exchanges that took place in 2006, 14 were done as part of the Verdde program (a Thematic Networks program). This program provides an opportunity for students at Sami University College in Norway to do a cultural exchange with students at the Nunavut Arctic College, Canada, for one month. "[This exchange] is a way to make mobility more common in societies where it is not as usual," Johson says.
The n2n program team hopes it can continue to develop in the next few years, and will focus on promoting the program and seeking further funding in order to give as many students as possible a chance to have the experience of studying in another northern country.
For more information on the n2n program, visit the program's website