Polar Contests for the IPY: a Youth Steering Committee Project
Abstract
The Polar Contests are a project being initiated by the International Youth Steering Committee (YSC) for the International Polar Year. Two aims integral to the YSC are firstly the networking of young polar researchers across disciplines early in their careers to enable collaboration, and secondly for this network to be involved in outreach to other youth. To meet these two aims with a project coordinated by youth for youth, the YSC will be running Polar Contests pioneered by the New Zealand committee. These contests will run in high schools during 2007, aiming to encourage young people to learn about polar research and express their views on the Polar Regions in as creative of a way as possible. A network of young polar researchers is being formed, and is supported by a website facilitating communication and alliance within this group. This network is also producing teaching resources reflecting the research and polar experiences of its members. These will be compiled into packs and distributed to high schools to inspire youth to produce entries for a Youth Polar Exhibition to tour museums during IPY. Entries will take a wide variety of forms, from artworks to research posters to equipment designs, reflecting the diversity of research and art connected to the poles. The entries to the New Zealand Polar Contests will be exhibited at the International Youth Conference on the Poles, May 2008. Although currently a New Zealand project, we anticipate that the Polar Contests will provide a useful model to be adopted by other countries involved in IPY.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006AGUFMED23B1240R
- Keywords:
-
- 0815 Informal education