Give us your feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
Eco-Films at the Park Theatre
» January 30 - May 28, 2008
We are once again hosting a series of monthly environmental films at the Park Theatre. Held the las...
Creating Wellness - Believe in our Youth
» May 14, 2008 - May 16, 2009
CREATING WELLNESS - INSTRUCTOR TRAINING WORKSHOP - LEVEL 1
Become a Creating Wellness Believe In...
2008 National CED Conference Waves of change - Building people-centered economies
» May 21 - 24, 2008
Each year, the Canadian CED Network holds a national conference to bring together those who support ...
Are you interested in learning more about Northern issues? Learning is an ongoing process that happens wherever you are and continues throughout your life. These modules will introduce you to the main challenges confronting the peoples and communities of the world’s northern regions. As such, they will be beneficial to young northerners or southerners interested in finding out more about the North, students attempting to better understand the current questions facing the North as well as; those planning to work in the North or those living in the South who are working on Northern issues.
The following five modules were developed in Cooperation with the University of the Arctic in 2005 for the Circumpolar Young Leaders Program.
International Co-operation in the Circumpolar North (391 kb) (PDF)
This module introduces you to recent developments relating to international co-operation in the circumpolar world. It describes the barriers to co-operation in the past and explains the recent proliferation of co-operative arrangements. The module compares and contrasts the Arctic with other regions in terms of major features of the landscape of international co-operation and identifies a number of key issues relating to the future course of international co-operation in the circumpolar world.
The Well-being of Northern Peoples and Communities (561 kb) (PDF)
The aim of this module is to promote understanding of individual and community well-being from a circumpolar perspective. First, the module presents the concept of community well-being and methods of well-being assessment. Then the major trends in the well-being of northern communities are introduced. Trends in health status, income, unemployment, and other indicators of well-being are compared internationally (among other northern countries) and nationally (between the northern and the central parts of individual countries). The third part of the module deals with the problems of social services delivery in northern communities. The module concludes with a discussion of the issues of community health and how those issues influence human well-being and the health of the surrounding physical environment. Community capacity and social capital—the key factors of community well-being—are also discussed.
Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination: Models and Options (121 kb) (PDF)
This module will introduce you to the context of the emergence of indigenous rights and self-determination movements, as well as to the different models and options that indigenous rights and self-determination have taken. First, the module outlines key features of historical Aboriginal/state relations. Following the historical outline, the module discusses the reasons for the emergence of indigenous rights movements. Then the concept of ethnopolitical rights is introduced. Finally, there is an exploration of different models of self- determination from around the circumpolar North, starting with Alaska and coming full circle to Russia. It will become apparent that, although indigenous peoples may share a lot in common, there exists great variety in the models of self-determination.
Sustainable Development in the North (226 kb) (PDF)
In the circumpolar North, sustainable development is a policy objective shared by eight Arctic states. In this module, you will explore key sustainable development issues in the north, different means used to achieve the objective, and approaches to these issues.
Please note that the learning modules above are not meant to provide comprehensive summaries of the topics; the aim is to provide a useful introduction to the topic and inspiration to further explore points of interest.